<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Continuum by geekymoviemom</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26218252">Continuum</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/geekymoviemom/pseuds/geekymoviemom'>geekymoviemom</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Pieces of Echoes [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Avengers Family, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Implied/ Reference Childhood Emotional Abuse, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Infinity War/ Endgame AU, Kid Peter Parker, M/M, Occasional mentions of homophobia, Parent Steve Rogers, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker has PTSD, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Steve Rogers Has PTSD, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Superfamily (Marvel), Superhusbands (Marvel), Tony Stark Has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tony Stark Needs a Hug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:40:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>218,009</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26218252</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/geekymoviemom/pseuds/geekymoviemom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s been five months since the Avengers finally brought HYDRA to its knees, purging them from their entrenchments deep inside the United States Government.  Five months since Peter finally found Steve inside their invisible bunker, so battered and bruised and broken that Tony feared he would never be whole again.</p><p>Five months since Tony swore he’d never let anything happen to his boys ever again.</p><p>So why can’t he stop dreaming about the massive space army that he thought he’d destroyed?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bruce Banner &amp; Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes &amp; Peter Parker, James "Bucky" Barnes &amp; Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson, James "Rhodey" Rhodes &amp; Tony Stark, Peter Parker &amp; Natasha Romanov, Peter Parker &amp; Sam Wilson, Peter Parker &amp; Steve Rogers, Peter Parker &amp; Steve Rogers &amp; Tony Stark, Peter Parker &amp; Tony Stark, Peter Parker/Gwen Stacy, Steve Rogers &amp; Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Pieces of Echoes [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1442440</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>328</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>301</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Welcome to my new story!  New chapters are posted every Monday, usually between 12-3pm EST.</p><p>This is a direct sequel to my story Chasing Demons.  If you haven’t read that story or its predecessor Pieces of Echoes, the basic tenets are that Steve was discovered in the Arctic ice about two years earlier than in canon, and was then sent to search for Tony and Peter after their kidnapping in Afghanistan.  In the months that followed, Steve and Tony fell in love and were married, and Steve adopted Peter.  Peter’s Spider-Man enhancements began to emerge once he hit puberty and are still developing, but while he does train with the team, he is not considered an official Avenger and does not conduct patrols.  The team, with the help of Tony’s BARF technology, was able to purge the Winter Soldier programming from Bucky’s mind, and he is now a full member of the Avengers.</p><p>For reference:<br/>Tony - 27 years old when Peter was born. Turned 39 while being held in Afghanistan. 39 during Loki's invasion (almost 40). 40 at his wedding (about a month before his 41st birthday). Currently 43.</p><p>Peter - 11 years old when kidnapped in Afghanistan. 12 during Loki's invasion (almost exactly one year later). 15 when he left the school dance to go search for Steve. Currently 16 (recently turned).</p><p>Steve - 91/ 27 years old when he found Tony and Peter in Afghanistan. 92/ 28 at wedding (turned 93/ 29 about nine weeks later). Currently 95/ 31.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A huge thank-you to my awesome betas, allthesinnersandthesaints and jehbeheh 💖</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>"<em>And for more information about this strange space phenomenon, we go to our on-site reporter, Jackson Murphy. Jackson, what more can you tell us?"</em></p><p>"Honey, why're you still watching that stuff?" Tony asked as he emerged from the bathroom, ready for bed in Steve's favourite bright blue sleep pants and a black tank top that was probably older than Peter. It wasn't at all unusual for Steve to be watching the news before bed. When they weren't on a mission there was always at least one television on in the house while Steve was awake, tuned in to his favourite news station. He liked to call it minding his surroundings, and while it made sense to Tony, it didn't mean that he particularly enjoyed it.</p><p>And he enjoyed it even less when said news was reporting on whatever goofy space phenomena had occurred over Africa. Ever since he'd stumbled upon an entire space-faring army just waiting to invade Earth during his emergency missile flight through Loki's portal, Tony had adamantly decided that he had seen all he'd needed of space, thank you very much.</p><p>It was an image that, even almost four years later, he still couldn't shake no matter how hard he tried. And he had <em>tried.</em></p><p>"Steve?" Tony repeated, pausing a few steps in to toss his hand towel in the general direction of the laundry hamper. "I thought Fury already told you that we didn't need to worry about it?"</p><p>"Yeah, he did," Steve muttered. The worry wrinkle between his perfect dark blond eyebrows was on full display as he glowered at the screen, an abandoned dog-eared novel sitting on his lap. Apparently the Jackson Murphy dude didn't have much of anything to add to the already low-on-details event.</p><p>"And?" Tony asked as he set his glasses down on the bedside table, right next to his tablet and Steve's dog tags. He climbed up onto the bed, sliding over to lean his head against Steve's arm. It'd been a long day, and he was tired.</p><p>Steve huffed out a frustrated sigh as he wound his arm around Tony's shoulders. "There's no new information, and judging by where in Africa the event occurred, there probably won't be any anytime soon. Director Fury told me that this country, Wakanda, doesn't talk to the outside world all that much."</p><p>"Mmm. Yeah, I've heard that about Wakanda," Tony said. "They're about as isolationist as they come. I used to hear Howard grumbling about them every now and then back in the day."</p><p>"I'm not surprised," said Steve. "Did you see that he tried to convince the government to try and open scientific diplomatic channels a few times when he was with SHIELD?"</p><p>Tony draped his arm across Steve's waist, burrowing closer as he closed his eyes and breathed in his husband's intoxicating scent, ivory soap and the slight hint of vanilla that always seemed to seep from his skin. Whoever thought that the plain, ten-cents-a-bar ivory soap could smell so damn good?</p><p>"Pretty sure it was Pete who discovered that little tidbit in the HYDRA files, honey, along with all the other stuff he wasn't supposed to be reading," Tony murmured, stifling a yawn. "Makes sense though. I bet all the rumours floating around about the super cool Wakandan tech just about drove Howard bonkers. You know he always wanted to have his fingers in every single pie he could find, and I know it always bugged the hell out of him that he could never get his hands on more of their magical metal."</p><p>Steve's eyes flicked over to the red, white, and blue shield propped up against the wall right next to their bedroom door. Tony had offered many times to build him a stand or something to hook it on when Steve wasn't using it, but Steve always refused. He'd told Tony that during the war he had always stored the shield right by the door—when he was actually able to sleep in a building, that is—and, like everything else about Steve, old habits apparently died hard.</p><p>"Yeah, I bet it did," Steve said softly. He narrowed his eyes at the screen as the reporter launched into yet another meandering statement regarding the unexplained phenomenon that had taken place high in the skies over Wakanda. Tony sighed, trying to ignore the high-pitched, nasally drone of the reporter's voice as he repeated himself for the third time.</p><p>"Honey, if Fury said whatever the hell this was isn't an Avengers-level threat, then why are you watching it?" he asked. "You know it's just gonna make it harder for you to get to sleep. And don't you try and give me that big song and dance about how you don't need as much sleep as me, 'cause you know it's just a bunch of bullshit."</p><p>"No, it's not," Steve said, rather petulantly. "In fact, according to Dr Cho, it's actually—"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, yeah, enough already," said Tony. "The fact still remains that Fury told you that whatever this was doesn't need to concern us, and yet you're still making it our concern."</p><p>"Fury said he didn't <em>think </em>it was, Tony," Steve said. "And he also said that so far none of the SHIELD scientists have a clue what it was either, so—"</p><p>"So tell him to send all the data they've managed to compile over to Bruce's lab, and he and I can take a look at it in the morning after we get Pete to school, yeah?" said Tony. He tipped his head up, planting a kiss on Steve's jaw. "Problem solved."</p><p>Steve gave a sheepish nod. "I already did. Bruce is expecting you at nine."</p><p>Tony chuckled. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I didn't have any other plans in the morning." It wasn't actually the truth. He'd been planning on working on the new nanotech suit he'd been building ever since their return to the Tower at the end of August, but he supposed that could wait long enough for him and Bruce to have a good look-see at whatever data Fury's scientists happened to have.</p><p>Especially if it helped to ease his husband's mind a bit. After Steve's month-long sejour in the almost-invisible HYDRA prison five months ago, Tony was still hyper-aware of anything he and the rest of the team could do to help shoulder some of Steve's mental burden. Tony—with Peter's help—had made sure that Steve kept his regular weekly therapy sessions with Sam Wilson, but knowing Steve as well as he did, Tony found it unlikely that he was allowing himself to work through the trauma he had endured as well as he should.</p><p>Apparently you could take the super soldier out of the 1940s, but you couldn't take the 1940s out of the super soldier. And judging by the fact that Steve still tried to brush Tony off whenever he asked if he was okay, Steve still had a long way to go.</p><p>"Honey, <em>please,"</em> Tony said gently as the reporter launched into yet another monologue about the mysteries of the Wakandan nation, complete with brightly-coloured cringey slideshow graphics. "I know you're tired, and this isn't helping anything. No one knows enough about Wakanda to even make a semi-educated guess about what happened, so this is really just a waste of our time."</p><p>Steve huffed out an annoyed breath. "Yeah, I guess so. JARVIS, can you please turn off the television?"</p><p>"Of course, Captain," replied JARVIS. "Would you like me to continue recording this news coverage?"</p><p>"No—" Tony started.</p><p>"Yes, please, JARVIS," Steve cut in. He gave Tony an apologetic look, earning a dismissive shrug in response. "Thank you."</p><p>"You are most welcome, Captain."</p><p>"Nice one, babe," Tony said with a scowl. "Now you'll just end up watching it when I'm not around."</p><p>Steve's shoulders sagged, and Tony felt a sharp pang of remorse as worry spiked in his blue eyes, worry that seemed to have taken up permanent residence ever since their battle against the certifiably looney-tunes combination of Obadiah Stane and Aldrich Killian down in their Miami bunker. Tony wasn't sure if it'd been more difficult for Steve to have to watch as both he and Peter fought for their lives after that battle, or for he and Peter to have been in the dark about Steve's whereabouts for an entire month after his capture by HYDRA, but he did know without a doubt that both instances absolutely sucked, and that he had absolutely no desire to ever go through anything like that ever again.</p><p>And yet, like he'd told Steve many times since the beginning of the Avengers Initiative, they didn't exactly have desk jobs. The very nature of their team and its combined strength only served to invite stronger and stronger challenges, and that worried Tony. Despite the fact that they'd recently added two new team members in the Maximoff twins—and he supposed Peter as well, although both he and Steve were still vehemently opposed to naming him an official Avenger—Tony was pretty concerned about what sort of challenges lay ahead.</p><p>Okay, maybe "concerned" wasn't actually the right word. It was more like he was scared shitless. Tony's worst fear was that some threat would come along—<em>evil space-faring armies, anyone?—</em>that would be somehow even more terrible than what they'd been through already, and he would end up losing one or both of his beloved boys. There had already been way too many times where he'd come too close for comfort.</p><p>Which was why Tony had been so gung-ho about getting his new nanotechnology to work. Since the government had put an ixnay on his defence drone technology, saying it would set a "bad global tone" after the recent HYDRA upheaval, being able to carry a fully functional suit of armour around inside a handy-dandy little storage case at all times would help him feel a lot better about whatever possible threats were in the works. After being forced to wait on his armour too many times while his boys were in danger, Tony was already beyond frustrated that it'd taken as long as it had to figure it out. He was very close, he could tell, but still not quite close enough.</p><p>But he wasn't about to say all that to Steve. Steve already had enough to worry about, as evidenced by the tight line of his jaw and the sorry state of his beautiful blue eyes.</p><p><em>Stupid unexplained space phenomena, </em>he thought bitterly. Even if it did turn out to be something innocuous, Tony knew Steve wasn't going to be able to let it go for a while.</p><p>
  <em>Can't we catch a break every now and then?</em>
</p><p>"Sorry, hon," Tony muttered. He gave Steve's hip what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze. "I shouldn't've said that."</p><p>
  <em>I'm just too damn afraid to lose you again.</em>
</p><p>Because if Tony had been in possession of such a suit on <em>that</em> night, the night of their ill-fated second anniversary dinner, just sitting there waiting in its little containment pack under his shirt where the arc reactor used to be, there would've been no way in hell that those goddamn HYDRA goons could've taken Steve away from him like they did.</p><p>For an entire month they kept him, drugging and torturing him to such an extent that Tony was positive that the only way Steve had managed to keep himself alive was out of sheer stubbornness. By the time Peter discovered HYDRA's hidden base and alerted the rest of the team to Steve's location, he was so badly injured and otherwise out of it that when he first laid eyes on Tony after the ensuing battle, he honestly believed him to be yet another HYDRA apparition.</p><p>
  <em>An entire month. A month that felt like a century.</em>
</p><p>He felt Steve's lips press against the top of his head. "Tony, it's all right," he whispered. "I'm right here."</p><p>Tony's throat tightened, and he squeezed his eyes closed, refusing to respond. Even after being together for four years and married for two and a half, it still amazed him at times how well Steve could read him.</p><p>It also spooked him a bit, if he was completely honest. Tony had always prided himself on being able to keep himself emotionally closed off, with only Peter being allowed inside the massive iron walls he had so carefully built around his heart. Walls that Steve then managed to tear down a chunk at a time beginning only a few days after they met, right in the middle of the godforsaken Afghanistan desert.</p><p>"Sweetheart?" Steve asked, nudging Tony softly on the shoulder.</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Tony said quickly, ignoring Steve's skeptical frown. "Now, go on and get ready for bed already, will ya? I'm tired."</p><p>"All right." Steve pressed another kiss to Tony's forehead for good measure before sliding off the bed, the strong muscles in his arms, back, and shoulders rippling deliciously. As soon as he'd crossed the spacious room to the bathroom, Tony flopped onto his stomach, burying his face into Steve's pillow and breathing in. It was an extremely poor substitute for the man himself, but it would do well enough until he came back.</p><p>"JARVIS, is Pete okay?" he asked once his lungs decided they'd had enough. Tony had checked in on Peter on the way to their room and found him completely conked out, but…</p><p>"Master Peter is currently sleeping peacefully, sir," answered JARVIS. "All vital signs are within his normal parameters."</p><p>Tony nodded, offering a quick, "Thanks, J," before smooshing his face back into the pillow, wishing like hell that JARVIS didn't have to make such a distinction. <em>His </em>normal parameters, the UI had said. Not just anyone's normal parameters, but specific to Peter himself due to the gene mutation that began expressing itself shortly after he turned twelve. With dangerous body temperature drops always a concern due to the spider DNA embedded inside his own, Peter's bedroom was kept at a balmy twenty-seven Celsius, and even that higher temp required him to sleep in pyjamas that would've had Tony roasting in about three minutes flat. He and Steve's bedroom was kept at a cool twenty-three Celsius, the perfect temperature to allow them to cuddle together while they slept without the risk of either of them overheating.</p><p>As soon as Tony heard Steve shut off the water, he rolled back over, assuming his usual position as Steve asked JARVIS to turn off the lights and slid under the blankets next to him. Draping his arm across Tony's waist, Steve curled his tall, strong body around him, pressing him as closely as their sleeping clothes would allow. Steve was shirtless, as he always was, and Tony delighted in the feel of his husband's soft, smooth skin against his, and the spearminty scent of his breath.</p><p>"Is there a reason why you're wearing a shirt tonight?" Steve gently asked a few seconds later, pinching the almost threadbare fabric of Tony's tank top between his fingers. "'Cause if it's because you're cold, I doubt this thing is gonna help all that much."</p><p>"Mmm," muttered Tony, once again cursing the fact that Steve could read him like a book even in the near-darkness. Like Steve, Tony always—usually—slept bare-chested, so as to maximise skin-to-skin contact with his beloved.</p><p>
  <em>How in the hell does he do that?</em>
</p><p>"Just… felt like it, I guess. Didn't even think."</p><p>Tony had always called Steve a terrible liar, because he was. Both he and Peter, their eyes were simply incapable of perpetuating any type of falsehood. But apparently Tony's once-proficient ability to spin stories to his advantage had slipped badly in the last few years when Steve shifted up onto his elbow, tilting Tony's chin up to look at him.</p><p>"Hey," he whispered. "Tell me what's going on."</p><p>Embarrassment washed over Tony as he tried to tear his eyes away, but, like usual, the intensity of Steve's gaze held him locked in place.</p><p>"Please, don't do that," he said. "Tell me."</p><p>"I did already," Tony croaked. "I didn't—"</p><p>"No, you told me what you thought I wanted to hear," said Steve. He trailed his fingertips along Tony's cheekbone, the touch just as feather-light as he was strong. "Right?"</p><p>Tony pursed his lips, his eyebrows knitting together into a severe frown. It really was ridiculous, and he knew it. He knew that Steve loved him beyond reason no matter what, scars and all. He had absolutely no reason at all to doubt him.</p><p>But sometimes, he just couldn't help it.</p><p>"That's what I thought," Steve whispered as he dipped his head, brushing his lips so lightly across Tony's that at first he thought he might've imagined it. He pulled back, his blue eyes intense as they bored into Tony's, while his free hand slid down Tony's front, fiddling with the frayed hem of the tank top.</p><p>"Can I?" he asked, so sincerely that one might've thought it was their first night together. Tony's eyes burned with tears as he gulped, finally nodding a few heartbeats later. Slowly, Steve slipped his fingers underneath the worn fabric, sliding his palm back up Tony's stomach and chest as the tank top pooled over his wrist, finally working it over Tony's head and tossing it aside.</p><p>"You're so beautiful, sweetheart," Steve murmured just before claiming Tony's lips. The kiss was sweet and almost chaste, with Steve's tongue running across Tony's lips just before he pulled away to trail kisses down his jaw and neck to his chest, and the kaleidoscope of scars directly over his sternum. Having met Tony when he did, Steve had never seen him without the scars, first with the arc reactor and then without, and while intellectually Tony knew that the sorry condition of his chest never bothered Steve, he sometimes couldn't help but wish that they would just go away already.</p><p>Tony was married to a super soldier, a blond, blue-eyed living legend with a nearly perfect—<em>okay, actually all perfect</em>—body. And how Steve could possibly desire an old, scarred man like himself still floored him.</p><p>"Please, don't think like that," Steve murmured as he brushed his thumb across Tony's nipple, earning a gasp in response. "Tá tú chomh taibhseach, agus tá an oiread sin grá agam duit."</p><p>"Okay, now that's just not fair," Tony said, gasping again as Steve's tongue flicked across his other nipple. Tony's fingers wove into Steve's thick blond hair as he kissed across to the mass of scars, laving his lips and tongue over them. "You know how damn sexy you are when you start talking dirty to me."</p><p>He felt Steve grin against his skin. "Pretty sure I wasn't," he said. "In fact, I'm almost positive that you know exactly what I said."</p><p>"<em>You are so gorgeous, and I love you."</em></p><p>"Mmm, maybe." Tony let out a positively wanton moan, heat spreading across him like a blanket as Steve's hand slid down his abdomen to his sleep pants, tracing along the rolled waistband.</p><p>"Aren't these mine?" Steve asked as he tugged lightly on the bunched-up elastic.</p><p>"Yeah. So?" answered Tony. He bit down on his bottom lip as Steve's deft artist's fingers worked their way underneath the pants and Tony's boxer briefs, still deliberately avoiding his already straining erection.</p><p>Leave it to Steve, who had been just about as pure as freshly fallen snow before he met Tony, to quickly become the biggest tease Tony had ever been with.</p><p>"You gave up all the rights to your wardrobe the second you married me, honey," Tony said, groaning in frustration as Steve once again refused to touch him where he needed him most. "What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine, right? The fact that you can't fit this god-like body of yours into anything of mine is completely beside the point."</p><p>Steve chuckled, his lips now trailing down to meet his fingers, still trailing back and forth across the sensitive skin of Tony's waist.</p><p>"Then it's a good thing I like to see you wearing my clothes," he murmured. He planted an open-mouthed kiss right at Tony's navel, briefly dipping his tongue inside. "Tell me what you want, mo grá. Ba mhaith liom tú a shásamh."</p><p>Emotion welled up inside Tony, so strongly that one of the tears he'd been trying to hold back finally escaped, rolling its way down his cheek. Steve's words, spoken in the old Irish language he used to speak with his ma back when it wasn't really all that cool to be a young Irish lad in New York, were the perfect soothing balm to his insecure soul. Tony could still remember his shock when Steve first spoke in the language to him, during their honeymoon. After watching Steve frolic in the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea all afternoon, his hair soaking wet and his sun-kissed skin dotted with water droplets, Tony hadn't believed that his husband could possibly get any sexier.</p><p>And he had been <em>wrong</em>. So very, very wrong.</p><p><em>I want to please you, </em>Steve's words said<em>.</em> Because even now, after two-plus years of marriage, Steve still always asked Tony what he wanted.</p><p>"Oh, Christ, Steve, you always please me," Tony whispered. "You don't—you don't have to do anything—"</p><p>"I know, but what if I want to?" Steve asked, rather cheekily. His chin came to rest in the dip of Tony's hipbone, his beautiful face flushed and eager. "What if I want to make my husband feel good? What if I want to show my husband that he's the most beautiful man in the entire world?"</p><p>"Pretty sure that's <em>my </em>line you just stole, babe," said Tony. "And, anyways—"</p><p>He was silenced by Steve's mouth, claiming his in a kiss that had none of the chasteness or gentleness of his earlier kisses. Steve's teeth nipped at Tony's lips as his tongue swept inside his mouth, tasting him as his fingers trailed back down Tony's chest and abdomen to finally, blessedly, curl around Tony's aching cock.</p><p>"Would you like my hand or my mouth, sweetheart?" Steve asked as he kissed down to Tony's neck, sucking gently on his pulse point as his hand slowly stroked Tony's cock, sending more bursts of heat across his body. Tony moaned at the sensation, gliding his hands down Steve's sides to his glorious ass as Steve pressed their foreheads together.</p><p>"Just like this," Tony rasped as he rolled his hips up against Steve's, with Steve's answering groan nearly causing him to climax right then and there. Tony knew Steve had had no intention of asking Tony to return the favour, but there was no way Tony was going to pass up a chance to see his gorgeous husband let go.</p><p>"I want you to come too," he said, hooking his knees over Steve's hips. "Together."</p><p>A light smile stretched across Steve's lips as he nodded, reaching over to his bedside table for a bottle of lube as Tony worked Steve's sleep pants down just far enough to free his erection. Then Steve squeezed a generous amount of the lube into his palm and wrapped his long fingers around both of their cocks, their combined groans sending ripples of pleasure down Tony's spine.</p><p>"Together," Steve said as his eyes locked with Tony's again, nearly blown black as his strokes slowly gained speed. "You're so beautiful, mo grá, and I love you so much. Please don't ever think you need to hide your body from me."</p><p>"<em>Steve," </em>Tony said, his breath hitching as the pleasure coiled deep in his gut, his fingertips digging into the hard flesh of Steve's ass. "Baby, 'm so close, I'm gonna—!"</p><p>He was there, and then he wasn't, yanked down over the precipice by the deep, loud moan that rumbled up from Steve's chest as they both came all over Tony's stomach. For a moment it was as though Tony forgot how to breathe at the sheer beauty of Steve's face staring down at him in the pale, bluish light of their bedroom, his hair all mussed up and his lips kiss-swollen.</p><p>He looked positively debauched, and Tony was convinced there was not a more glorious sight in all the universe.</p><p>"Come here, honey," Tony murmured once he felt capable of speech, winding his arms around Steve's neck. He pressed a long kiss to Steve's lips before tucking his head under his chin, stroking his fingers through the hair on the back of his neck.</p><p>Tony sure didn't know what he'd done to deserve such a man, but he was definitely grateful to have him.</p><p>"These are not ugly, Tony," Steve said a couple minutes later, brushing his lips across the worst of Tony's scars. "These scars tell a story, one that demonstrates your tenacity, your genius, and your love for our son. They represent your absolute refusal to give up under the most frightening of circumstances, and for that, I'll always be grateful for them. I wouldn't have found you and Peter without them."</p><p>"No, I guess you wouldn't've," Tony forced past the lump in his throat. While he supposed it was possible that he and Steve would've run into each other at some point after he was found in the Arctic ice, they probably wouldn't have been thrown together in such a way that would've led to Peter latching onto Steve like a baby koala, paving the way for Tony to fall head over heels for a man he'd always believed he despised.</p><p>And Tony shuddered to think how in the hell Steve would've been able to adjust to the twenty-first century without Peter's help. Everything from learning how to use a microwave to shopping for groceries and clothes to using a smartphone and driving a modern car, in those earliest days it had been Peter who Steve had leaned on the most. One of the fondest memories Tony still had of his two boys was that first night that Steve made dinner for the three of them at the Malibu house, and both he and Peter regaled Tony with stories about their afternoon adventures in the pool as they all ate together.</p><p>He hadn't wanted to admit it, but that had been the first time he'd been able to picture the three of them together, as a real family.</p><p>And little did Tony know just what kind of rollercoaster they were stepping on. One that over four years later, still hadn't stopped.</p><p>"Steve, c'mere," Tony said softly. He tugged on Steve's hair, bringing his head up so he could kiss him. "I'm—I'm—"</p><p>He was silenced by Steve's fingers, brushing softly across his lips. "No apologies, okay?" he whispered. "I love you."</p><p>Tony gave a single nod. "I love you too, babe. 'Cept now we have to get cleaned up before we end up getting stuck together."</p><p>Steve chuckled, pressing one final kiss to Tony's lips. "I'll be right back."</p><p>Sliding off the bed, Steve made his way back to the bathroom, returning with a warm washcloth to clean the mess from Tony's stomach. Then he crawled back under the covers, this time positioning Tony with his head resting on his chest so Tony could hear his heartbeat.</p><p>"JARVIS, can you please delete that news footage?" Steve asked. "I won't be needing it after all."</p><p>"Steve—"</p><p>"Of course, Captain," said JARVIS. "Footage has been archived."</p><p>"Honey, you didn't have to do that," protested Tony.</p><p>"If it helps you sleep, then it's worth it," Steve said softly. "I'm sure whatever you and Bruce come up with will be of more use anyway."</p><p>Tony smirked. "Why, honey, are you trying to insinuate that Bruce and I are smarter than a bunch of vultures—I mean… news people?"</p><p>"I'm pretty sure I wasn't insinuating anything, sweetheart." Steve pressed another kiss to Tony's forehead, his fingers trailing lightly up and down Tony's bare side. "Sleep now. I know you're tired."</p><p>"Mmm, yep." Tony was tired, and now that his entire body was buzzing with the post-coital fuzzies, he thought he might actually be able to fall asleep without trying to solve all of the world's problems beforehand.</p><p>"'Night, babe."</p><p>"Goodnight, mo grá. I love you."</p><hr/><p>"So, George Stacy told me that he won't be able to make it to the Mets game this coming Thursday," Sam said as he and Steve jogged to a stop outside of the Tower's main entrance. "Something about a school performance for one of his boys, so Bucky and I will have an extra ticket if you wanna come."</p><p>"Ah, sure," Steve answered. He grabbed two bottles of Powerade from the newsstand set up in the lobby, exchanging pleasantries with the elderly Korean War vet who ran it while he paid. Tony had set up an ongoing weekly donation to the newsstand that Steve knew more than covered the cost of he and Sam's daily Powerade bottles, but Steve wasn't about to use that as an excuse.</p><p>"Let me double-check with Tony first, but it should be fine," added Steve. He popped the cap on his Powerade, taking a long drink as they headed towards the bank of elevators. "Thursdays Peter stays late at school for Robotics Lab, so I'll just have to make sure that we have a backup available to pick him up if Tony gets delayed."</p><p>"Yeah, I figured," said Sam. "Just let me know. It's playoff time, so it should be a good game."</p><p>"Oh wow, is it really that time already?" Steve asked. Of course he'd noticed that the weather was cooling down and the days were getting shorter, but somehow the last five months or so had seemed to pass both at a snail's pace and in the blink of an eye, and that both surprised and unnerved Steve. He didn't enjoy being so jarred by something as simple as the passage of time. It tended to remind him far too much of waking up alone in that mockup 1940s hospital room back in the old SHIELD headquarters, not realising that he'd just been asleep for the last sixty-plus years.</p><p>"Steve?" Sam asked, startling Steve from his thoughts. "You still with me?"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, Sam, sorry," Steve said dismissively, ignoring Sam's skeptical raised eyebrow. "Just… seems like the days are just kinda flying by lately. I mean, I could've sworn it was just a few months ago that Peter was teaching me how to use a credit card, and now all of a sudden I'm teaching him how to drive on the weekends."</p><p>Sam let out a chuckle as he took a drink of his Powerade. "Pretty sure you're not alone in that sentiment, Cap. I don't think any of us are used to how much that kid has grown lately."</p><p>"Well, that makes me feel a bit better," Steve said as the doors to the penthouse elevator slid open. "I'll let you know about the game, okay?"</p><p>"Sure thing," Sam said with a nod. "See ya later."</p><p>Steve leaned back against the elevator wall as it began its ascent up to the topmost floor of the Tower. He hadn't wanted to get into it with Sam right after their run, but he was really starting to worry about Tony. Ever since they'd returned from their late summer vacation to Ireland, Steve had noticed that Tony's sleep was getting worse. It didn't help that his own sleep still wasn't all that great, often filled with horrifying images of him battling Tony hand-to-hand as Tony mercilessly taunted him, images he knew were the result of his torture at HYDRA's hands. Sam had told him multiple times that it would take some time for those images to fade, and perhaps even longer due to his eidetic memory, but Steve wasn't concerned about himself. As much as Tony tried to deny it, he was suffering, and Steve was at a loss as to how to help him. As it was, Tony had spent a good portion of their sleeping time working in his lab after being awoken by yet another bad dream, only returning to the bed after Steve had begged him, telling him that he couldn't sleep well without him. It was the truth; Steve never slept well without Tony next to him, but he still felt guilty about it. Both he and Tony had fallen into some pretty bad coping habits following the battle in the Miami bunker, and Steve was afraid that he and Tony were starting to slip right back into those patterns.</p><p>Even as most of the time they seemed to be the only options available.</p><p>"JARVIS, are Peter and Tony awake yet?" Steve asked as the elevator continued its climb. Tony had been sound asleep when Steve's alarm had gone off ninety minutes earlier, so Steve had taken extra care not to disturb him as he readied for his run. Steve also knew that Peter had his own schedule of alarms to wake him up, but he always felt it prudent to check up on him anyway. With how fast Peter had been growing lately he'd been sleeping like a rock at night, and was often pretty difficult to rouse.</p><p>"Master Peter is currently enjoying his third bowl of Lucky Charms in the kitchen, Captain," replied JARVIS. "However, Mr Stark is still asleep. Would you like me to wake him?"</p><p>Steve grinned, guzzling down the rest of his Powerade. Peter knew how to make himself a more substantial breakfast than cold cereal, but, like his father, he was often too sleepy or too distracted in the mornings to reach for anything other than his usual.</p><p>Which was why they often had to buy Lucky Charms by the palette.</p><p>"No, thanks, JARVIS, I'll do it myself once I get cleaned up. Can you please tell Peter that I'm almost there?"</p><p>"Of course, Captain."</p><p>He found Peter hunched over his computer at the breakfast bar, the counter covered with splatters of milk and marshmallows as he giggled through a mouthful of cereal.</p><p>"Good morning, little guy," Steve said as he ruffled Peter's curly hair. "What's so funny?"</p><p>"Oh, just another prank that Pietro and Wanda pulled on Uncle Clint while he was napping yesterday afternoon," answered Peter. "This time Wanda tried to film it, but Pietro's moving so fast all you can see is Uncle Clint's hair blowing in the breeze." He swallowed his mouthful, popping a stray marshmallow into his mouth. "Uncle Clint's face is pretty funny though. See?"</p><p>Steve leaned closer as Peter shifted the laptop towards him, chuckling as he watched Clint wake up from his spot on the Compound's living room couch to find his entire complement of arrows arranged in a sort of elaborate pyramid shape across his torso, essentially pinning him to the cushions. It was funny, and something he could definitely see the twins thinking up.</p><p>"He wasn't too upset with them, was he?" asked Steve as Clint started yelling for Natasha to come and help him up as Wanda and Pietro giggled in the background.</p><p>"<em>He definitely didn't see that coming,"</em> Steve heard Pietro whisper.</p><p>"Oh, no, he wasn't really mad," said Peter. "You know Uncle Clint likes to act all gruff and stuff, but he's really a big softie when it comes down to it. And Pietro and Wanda told me that he and Auntie Nat are almost as overprotective as you and Dad."</p><p>"Well, they've got twice the amount of trouble than Dad and I do," Steve said. "But Uncle Clint and Auntie Nat are definitely excellent surrogate parents. Nat told me yesterday that she got a call from one of Wanda's teachers, telling her how well she seemed to be fitting in with her class." Steve didn't add that hearing that news had brightened his entire day. After being held captive for months in the same HYDRA prison as Steve, he'd had some serious concerns that the twins would be able to easily rejoin society. He'd been especially concerned about Wanda, since she had been forced to participate in Steve's torture and had directly witnessed the death of her father at HYDRA's hands. She had even forced Peter to see some pretty horrible things after he infiltrated the prison, visions that still sometimes haunted him while he slept.</p><p>And, like Tony, he didn't particularly enjoy talking about them.</p><p>But apparently the twins, and Clint and Natasha, were settling in pretty well up at the Compound. The four of them had spent most of the summer on Clint's sister-in-law's farm in Indiana, returning to the Compound just before the start of the school year. Since upstate New York was a lot more like Indiana than Manhattan was, the team had decided that it would be best for Clint and Nat to take up year-round residence at the Compound so the twins could attend school up there.</p><p>"That's good," said Peter, just before downing the extra milk from his bowl. Then he wiped his chin with the sleeve of his oversized sweatshirt, wincing when he noticed Steve's raised eyebrow. "Sorry, Papa. Um… I'll get a napkin."</p><p>"They do exist for a reason, little guy," Steve said. "Do you know if Dad's awake yet?"</p><p>"No, I haven't seen him yet," Peter said with a shrug. "Usually he's been in here for coffee at least once already, but JARVIS said he was still sleeping a few minutes ago."</p><p>"That's okay, I'll go and check on him now," Steve said. He patted Peter on the shoulder. "Did you remember to pack your snacks?"</p><p>Peter's eyes went wide. "Uhh, can you ask me that again in a few minutes?"</p><p>"Sure, little guy," Steve said with a short laugh. "I'm gonna go get cleaned up now, okay? Be ready to go when I get back."</p><p>"Uh huh."</p><p>Steve shook his head in amusement as he headed down the hallway towards the bedroom. Peter was so much like Tony. So much so that Steve felt like he frequently got little glimpses of what Tony could've been like as a teen if he'd had a more supportive home life. While Tony had told Steve that he'd adored his mother, his father, Howard, was at best a distant and neglectful father and at worst emotionally—and occasionally physically—abusive. And, based on what Tony had told Steve about his mother, it honestly seemed to Steve that she hadn't been the most attentive parent either, often leaving Tony solely in the care of the family's butler, Mr Jarvis, the man who had inspired Tony to create his UI.</p><p>And then there'd been Obadiah Stane, the man who'd tried for years to mould Tony into the perfect Iron Monger war profiteer, and then arranged to have him and Peter kidnapped by the Ten Rings after Tony tried to push back. Steve still couldn't even think of the man's name without white-hot rage flooding his body, along with a hefty dose of fear at how close he had come to losing his husband and son forever.</p><p>Tony had told Steve numerous times that he'd never had any intentions of becoming a father, and especially not after having his heart broken by Peter's mother, an undercover SHIELD agent sent by Nick Fury to evaluate Tony. Steve had heard the story of the night Peter was born many times, mostly at his request. Since he didn't get to meet Peter until he was already eleven years old, Steve loved hearing stories about when Peter was a baby and younger child, and especially about how much Tony had adored him from day one. From the moment Tony laid eyes on Peter as a tiny baby, he was hooked. Born prematurely and suffering from underdeveloped lungs, Peter spent several weeks in the hospital after he was born, during which Tony didn't leave his side for longer than a few minutes, a protectiveness that hadn't waned at all in the sixteen years since. Tony was so head over heels for his sweet boy that Steve had no doubt that he would move heaven and Earth in order to keep him safe.</p><p>Tony called it breaking the cycle of shame, and Steve couldn't agree more. Steve had been drawn to both of the Starks from the very moment Nick Fury first showed him their pictures in their SHIELD files, promising Fury that he would search for them until he found them, no matter how long it took.</p><p>And he had. Thanks to Tony's ingenuity and determination while being held prisoner, Steve and James had managed to find them in the middle of that massive desert, and with not a moment to spare. In fact, it was Tony's desperate pleas for Peter to stay with him that had finally alerted Steve to their location. Peter had stopped breathing only seconds before, and his blue lips and freezing-cold skin as he laid limply in Tony's arms were Steve's first clues that he was in very serious trouble.</p><p>And even now, after all the time that had passed, Steve could still hear the echo of Tony's panicked cries in his mind as he attempted to get Peter to take a breath, terrified that he was going to lose the son that he loved more than anything. Tony had later told Steve flat-out that if Peter had died there in that endless sea of sand, he would've refused to go back with them. He would've blamed himself for Peter's death, and all of his will to live would've vanished.</p><p>Another sentiment that Steve could now understand. The weeks that he and Tony had spent in uncertainty that Peter would ever recover from his injuries sustained during the Miami battle had been even more tortuous than his captivity in the HYDRA bunker, and something that Steve absolutely never wanted to go through again. Like Tony, Peter was a part of Steve's very soul, and to lose him would be to lose one of the best parts of himself.</p><p>It was that reason that Steve and Tony had refused Peter's numerous requests to officially join the Avengers. While they were both impressed by Peter's abilities as Spider-Man, the name he'd coined for himself after his genetic mutation was discovered, participating in closed training sessions with the team was a far cry from going on an actual mission. Steve and Tony had informed Peter that once he turned eighteen they would reevaluate his position on the team, and while Peter hadn't been very pleased with that decision, as far as Steve and Tony were concerned, it was final.</p><p>Tony was just beginning to stir when Steve got to the bedroom, opening one sleepy eye as Steve stripped out of his sweaty running clothes.</p><p>"Well, now <em>that's </em>a sweet sight to wake up to," he murmured, his face still partially smashed into Steve's pillow. Steve loved how Tony always seemed to take over Steve's side of the bed after he got up. "Can you just stay like right there for about the next hour or so?"</p><p>Steve chuckled, leaning down to kiss Tony on the cheek. "Pretty sure Peter would end up being late for school, sweetheart."</p><p>"Hmph," grumbled Tony as Steve headed for the bathroom. "Why does the high school have to start so damn early anyway?"</p><p><em>It only seems early because you didn't get any sleep again, </em>Steve thought as he stepped into the shower, letting out a soft moan as the hot water pelted the tense muscles in his neck and shoulders. He and Tony had splurged on a couples' massage during their vacation in Ireland over the summer, and ever since then Tony had been encouraging Steve to get another, telling him that the constant tension he carried in his upper body was hindering his recovery.</p><p>But Steve didn't enjoy thinking about his recovery, so he always just changed the subject, something he knew hadn't escaped Tony's notice. He didn't like remembering the weeks that he spent in captivity with a busted-up foot that still ached whenever it rained, being drugged into believing that he was fighting against his own husband.</p><p>No. Steve didn't like it at all. He far preferred helping Tony and Peter recover from their post-battle stress than worrying about his own.</p><p>Once he was showered and dressed, Steve headed back to the kitchen to find Tony helping Peter with the last of his snacks. With Peter's metabolism almost twice that of a normal sixteen-year-old boy, most of the time his daily food intake surpassed even Steve's, and he and Tony had already had to bring him extra food during the day three times since the beginning of the school year.</p><p>"We're just about ready here, babe," Tony said as Peter zipped up his backpack. "Am I driving, or are you?"</p><p>"I'll drive," answered Steve. With how little sleep Tony had gotten the night before, he didn't particularly want him trying to drive in the busy Midtown morning traffic.</p><p>It was a beautiful autumn day as Steve pulled his pickup truck out of the Tower garage and onto the street, with the cool, crisp air and the brightly shining sun. Peter kept up a running commentary the whole way there, telling Steve and Tony all about the newfangled thing he and his friend Ned were building in Robotics Lab while Tony offered up a few suggestions. Steve loved listening to his two boys discuss their projects. Even though he didn't understand what they were saying half the time, just the mere fact that they were talking about it in the first place gave Steve hope that they could all have some semblance of normality in their otherwise mad lives.</p><p>Not surprisingly, Peter's girlfriend, Gwen, was waiting for him by the doors when they pulled up next to the school. Tony had told Steve that she had been instrumental in helping to narrow down the location of the hidden HYDRA bunker, managing to decipher a series of coded HYDRA files that Peter had decrypted after his disappearance during their end-of-year dance. Peter had intended to search for Steve on his own, believing that since he was the only person on the team who could see through the retro-reflective panels that lined the outside of the bunker, that he would have a better chance at infiltrating it without being discovered.</p><p>Which he did, until he was attacked by a mind-controlled Wanda Maximoff and subsequently captured.</p><p>"Have a good day, little guy," Steve said as Peter climbed out of the truck. "We'll see you this afternoon."</p><p>"Uh huh, Papa. Love you guys."</p><p>"Love you too, buddy," said Tony, grinning slightly at the wide smile on Peter's face as he greeted Gwen. Steve knew the fact that Gwen was aware of Peter's secret still worried Tony—it honestly worried him too, but he preferred to not think too much about that—but so far neither she nor her father had shown any indications that the team's trust in them was misplaced. George Stacy had even participated in Steve's rescue from the HYDRA bunker, and assisted in the capture and arrest of Quentin Beck and Justin Hammer, the two HYDRA scientists working out of it.</p><p>"So, I was thinking," he said as he pulled the truck back onto the street. "It's been awhile since we've had one of our coffee dates, so why don't we have one of them this morning, hmm?"</p><p>Out of the corner of his eye, Steve saw Tony frown. "Um… I thought I'd been assigned to work with Bruce this morning? Something about the funky space lights over Wakanda last night?"</p><p>"Yes, and I've already spoken with Bruce and asked if you could start a couple hours later," Steve said gently. "And he said it was fine."</p><p>Tony's frown grew deeper. "Okay. And when were you planning to tell me?"</p><p>"I just did," answered Steve. He reached for Tony's hand, relieved that he didn't try to pull away. "Please, sweetheart, we need to talk about this. These dreams you're having are upsetting you, and I'm not the only one who's noticed. Peter's worried about you too."</p><p>"Mmm," grumbled Tony. "Not like that's anything new. Kid's been worrying about me his entire life."</p><p>"That's 'cause he loves you, Tony. Just like I do."</p><p>Tony rolled his eyes, his fingers twitching in Steve's. "Fine, mother hen, we can go have coffee. But just one, okay? I've got a lot of data to look through, and since none of the SHIELD scientists know how to organise anything, it's kind of a mess."</p><p>"Thank you," Steve said. He didn't bother adding that he knew Tony had already looked through the data at least once while he'd been awake the night before, and that he hadn't liked what he'd found.</p><p>One thing at a time.</p><p>Arriving at their favourite coffee shop, Steve made pleasant small talk with the barista as she prepared their drinks and chocolate croissants, then led Tony over to their usual table in the corner, right next to the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out onto the bustling street.</p><p>"Sweetheart, please, talk to me?" Steve pleaded after they had sat in silence for at least five minutes. "'Cause it seems like these dreams of yours are just getting worse and worse, and—"</p><p>"They are," Tony said, so flatly that Steve's blood ran cold for a moment. He traced around the rim of his cup with his finger, his beautiful brown eyes filled to the brim with fear. "They… it's like they were just sitting there in the background of my mind, biding their time until we were able to destroy HYDRA, and now—"</p><p>"So they're the same dreams that you started having after the battle with Loki?" asked Steve. "About the space army?"</p><p>Tony flinched at Steve's words, prompting Steve to reach for his hand, running the pad of his finger along Tony's wedding ring.</p><p>"Sweetheart, it's just me," he murmured. "It's okay."</p><p>Tony scoffed, shaking his head. "No, it's not, 'cause that's the problem right there. It's not just you." Tears welled in his eyes that he hastily swiped away. "It's never just you. It's—it's everyone. The whole team. You, Nat, Clint, Bruce, Thor… And—and even—oh Christ, Steve, I can't—" He broke off, but Steve understood what he meant anyway.</p><p>
  <em>Even Peter.</em>
</p><p>"Oh my God," Steve whispered. "Tony, I wish you would've told me this a lot sooner!"</p><p>"Tell you what?" Tony snapped. "Tell you that I managed to kill the Avengers because I didn't do enough to stop what's coming? Tell you that just about every goddamn night I see you lying on a battlefield, surrounded by our dead teammates, with your face all busted up and your shield broken in half? Tell you that as I check to see that if by some miniscule chance you're still alive, you grab onto my wrist, demanding why I didn't do more to stop it from happening? And then—oh God, Steve, and <em>then—</em>"</p><p>"Tony, it's okay," Steve insisted. He honestly didn't think he could stand hearing it. "It's—"</p><p>"He dies," Tony continued, as if he hadn't even heard Steve. "Right there, in my arms. And I can't do a single fucking thing to stop it."</p><p>Steve squeezed his eyes closed, breathing in deeply through his nose. It was even worse than he'd feared.</p><p>"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he finally whispered. "How—how can I help? Tell me what to do, you know I'll do anything—"</p><p>"You can't do anything," Tony said, completely devoid of emotion. "It's—it's too—Bruce and I are the only ones who can figure this out, and once we do, I'm gonna talk to Fury about trying to reopen a diplomatic dialogue with Wakanda, 'cause—"</p><p>"Okay, okay, just… slow down for a second, please?" Steve asked. He sucked in a slow, deep breath, taking a sip of his tea. "What does Wakanda have to do with your bad dreams?"</p><p>Tony's lower lip shook as he took a small sip of his coffee. "You were right, I was looking over the data from SHIELD last night. And from what I've been able to figure out, it's—it's coming, Steve. That Chitauri army that I saw out in space, that massive ship that I blew up with the missile, somehow it's coming back. Whatever the hell that was that happened over Wakanda, the energy signature was the same as the energy weapons used by the Chitauri in the Battle of New York, so… they're coming back. And this time, they're not gonna stop."</p><p>Steve was quiet for several heartbeats, trailing his thumb along Tony's knuckles as he tried to come up with something reassuring to say. He didn't want to put so much stock into dreams since they were… well… <em>dreams,</em> but he didn't want to just dismiss them out of hand either. His family had already had far too much experience with shared and prophetic dreams. After Obadiah injected Peter with the HYDRA drug CTX-616 in Afghanistan, he started slipping into Bucky's dreams once they captured him following the Project Insight debacle, witnessing firsthand the murder of Tony's parents by the Winter Soldier.</p><p>"You think this has anything to do with that drug Aminacin that Killian gave us?" he finally asked. "I know Bruce gave us both the antidote, but maybe some of it is still in our systems somewhere, just waiting to cause trouble."</p><p>Tony gave a frustrated shrug. "I don't know. I've thought about it, since it's pretty much a souped-up version of the same stuff they gave Pete, but most of Pete's dreams were self-inserts into things that had already happened, not things that might happen."</p><p>"That's true," said Steve. "But according to Peter, while you and I were hooked up to that drug, both of us were led to believe that the other was dead. So maybe this is just another version of that."</p><p>Again, Tony shrugged. "I s'pose it could be. I can see if Fury still has any of the stuff for me to analyse."</p><p>"No! Why would you do that?" Steve yelped, his heart jumping into his throat. The last thing Tony needed was another potential exposure to the drug that almost killed him. "Tony, I don't want you or Peter anywhere near that stuff!"</p><p>"Oh, but you'd be okay, right, Mr Super Soldier?" Tony snapped, his shoulders sagging when Steve's eyebrows knitted together. "I'm sorry, honey. I'm just…"</p><p>"You're exhausted, sweetheart," Steve said softly. "And to be honest, so am I. I'm wondering if we shouldn't go back home and try and take a nap before you and Bruce get started."</p><p>Tony gave a single nod, quickly downing the rest of his coffee. "What time did you tell Bruce to come up?"</p><p>"Eleven," Steve answered. He checked his watch, a replacement for the one Killian stole from him down in Miami. "And it's only half past eight now, so that would give us a good ninety minutes or so."</p><p>"Mmm, fine. But only if you promise to make me some more coffee afterwards."</p><p>"You know I will, mo grá," Steve said with a relieved smile. He quickly popped the rest of his croissant into his mouth and got to his feet, reaching for Tony's hand. "Shall we?"</p><p>An actual smile stretched across Tony's lips, the first Steve had seen on him all morning.</p><p>"We shall."</p><p>But around twenty minutes later, as he held his sleeping husband in his arms, Steve could tell that the dam he'd built to hold back his ever-growing river of fear was already starting to leak. Tony's dreams of losing his family—of losing <em>Peter</em>—to some gigantic invading space army may have seemed a bit far fetched, but Steve had seen way too many far fetched things come to life since he'd crashed the <em>Valkyrie </em>into the Arctic ice to just chalk it up to simple bad dreams.</p><p>If his family was in danger, then it was Steve's duty to protect them.</p><p>And he would.</p><p>Whatever it took.</p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> <strong>Come and talk to me on tumblr, I’m <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geekymoviemom">geekymoviemom</a> and <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geeky-writes">geeky-writes</a> there!  😊 </strong> </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit that kudos button and leave me a comment!  💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A huge thank-you to my awesome betas, allthesinnersandthesaints and jehbeeh 💖</p><p>Amazing moodboard created by therollingstonys 💖</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>"Mr Stark-Rogers? Ah, excuse me, Mr Stark-Rogers? Are you still with us back there?"</p><p>"Huh?" Peter said as he snapped his head up, immediately grimacing as his Physics teacher, Ms Warren, shot him a look of irritation. "Um… yeah," he said sheepishly. "I'm—I'm here. Sorry."</p><p>Ms Warren tilted her head as a chorus of soft giggles erupted from several of Peter's classmates. "Well… you could've fooled me. We only have about ten minutes left, so why don't you see if you can at least pretend like you're paying attention, hmm?"</p><p>"Yeah—yes, ma'am. I will," Peter muttered. He slouched down into his chair, wishing he could somehow disappear into his oversized hoodie as Ms Warren turned her attention back to the whiteboard. At the moment all he wanted was for school to be over so he could go home, so ten more minutes may as well have been ten more hours.</p><p>Out of the corner of his eye, Peter watched as Gwen glanced back at him, whispering a concerned, "Are you okay?" as soon as Ms Warren's back was turned. He gave a quick nod in response, earning one of her <em>yeah, right</em> eyebrows that he chose to pointedly ignore. "Okay" had become such a relative term ever since he and Dad were attacked and kidnapped in Afghanistan that Peter wasn't even sure if he knew what it meant anymore.</p><p>In comparison to <em>that</em> horrific day, when he woke up to find himself lying flat on his face on a hard, smelly cot and Yinsen stitching the back of his head back together with a sewing needle, <em>this</em> day, this regular Tuesday afternoon sitting in his physics class directly behind his girlfriend was a walk in the park. Peter shuddered as he recalled the throbbing pain in his head and the severe tightness in his chest that made it hard to breathe, all of which was magnified by the nearly crushing fear that Dad was going to die from some raging infection after his heart surgery.</p><p>One might've thought that after surviving being bombed, kidnapped, experimented on, and nearly suffocating in the middle of the desert, Peter might've earned some kind of get out of jail free card on any further life-altering trauma, but apparently the bombing/ kidnapping was only the warmup. It was barely a year later that the wormhole from space opened up over their Tower home, allowing the Chitauri aliens to invade New York City. And then that led to the huge mess with Project Insight and trying to figure out how to deprogram Uncle Bucky, which then led to Obie breaking into the Tower to kidnap Peter <em>again</em>, which <em>then </em>led to him spending almost three months in a coma after being pumped so full of HYDRA's magic wannabe super-soldier drug that his mind literally had to shut itself down until his enhanced immune system could fix it.</p><p>And all of that happened <em>before</em> HYDRA decided to unleash a bunch of their semi-enhanced zombies on him, nearly killing him three separate times before they switched their attention to Papa and arrested him, torturing him for an entire month before Peter was able to track down where they'd taken him.</p><p>And after all <em>that</em>, after Peter had managed to figure out the hidden location of the HYDRA bunker, fight off yet another semi-enhanced goon, and finally break in to the otherwise invisible building and find where they were holding Papa, his dads had <em>still </em>felt the need to tell him that he wasn't allowed to officially join the Avengers until he turned eighteen.</p><p>It just wasn't <em>fair.</em></p><p>Oh, he could train with them, in their massive training arena up at the Compound where his family usually spent the weekends. He could practise all the manoeuvres that he'd been perfecting ever since his genetic mutations began expressing themselves, including using his homemade webbing and web shooters that had so impressed Dad that he'd started using a few of Peter's design techniques in some of the new tech he was building for the team, but he still couldn't call himself an Avenger.</p><p>Even Pietro and Wanda, who'd only been with the team since the end of May and were still learning how to use the full extent of their abilities, could call themselves Avengers.</p><p>But not Peter. 'Cause he was still "just a kid".</p><p>
  <em>Hmph.</em>
</p><p>With a heavy sigh, Peter closed his laptop screen and hunched over, folding his arms on top of his stack of books as he struggled to keep his eyes open. He knew it was rude to not pay attention in class, but the honest truth was that he just didn't need to. Everything Ms Warren was discussing he already knew, and thanks to how often he got to work with Dad and Uncle Bruce on their stuff, he could probably even teach the class himself by now.</p><p>He at least had the wherewithal to emerge from his mind fog in time to brace himself for the high-pitched shrill of the bell. He had already been caught unawares by it twice that day, nearly knocking his computer to the floor one of the times in his haste to cover his ears, and he really didn't feel like having to listen to Flash tease him about being afraid of it yet again.</p><p>Or give Gwen even more reason to hover. He already got more than enough of that from his dads and the rest of the adults in his family, thank you very much.</p><p>Gathering up his books and computer, Peter quickly checked his phone as he waited for Gwen, making note of the text from Papa that he'd be arriving to pick him up in about ten minutes. That likely meant that Dad was still working on the SHIELD data with Uncle Bruce, which also meant that Peter might even get to see some of it. Aside from the fact that he really enjoyed working with Dad and Uncle Bruce—he especially loved to listen to them bicker in their "science-speak", as Papa called it—Peter was already fascinated by Wakanda and was very eager to learn more about it.</p><p>
  <em>Three… two… one… </em>
</p><p>"So, you wanna tell me what that was all about?" Gwen asked as they exited the classroom, right on cue. "I know you might not think that you need to pay attention all the time, but it's not like you to get called out for it in front of the entire class."</p><p>Peter shrugged, earning a deep frown from Gwen. "Not like I was hurting anyone. I wasn't even making any noise."</p><p>"No, but you only missed Ms Warren saying your name three separate times before she finally got your attention," Gwen said gently. She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "And with how well you can hear, that's saying something."</p><p>"Mmm," grumbled Peter. "I was just watching the goofy video from Pietro and Wanda. It's really no big deal."</p><p>"Well, maybe to you it's not," said Gwen. "But for the rest of us the mere mortals, listening during class has been shown to be a remarkable way to actually learn stuff."</p><p>Peter glowered as they arrived at Gwen's locker, watching as she unlocked it and began tossing books and papers around. He was starting to get the impression that this was a bigger deal than he'd originally thought.</p><p>"Okay, so… you wanna tell me what's going on?" he sheepishly asked. "'Cause you seem to be kinda upset, and—"</p><p>"Not everyone has all of the opportunities that you do, Peter," Gwen cut in, giving her economics notebook a particularly hard shove into her backpack. "Some of us actually have to work our butts off in order to get noticed by the big-name colleges that your father probably has in his back pocket."</p><p>"Hey, now!" Peter exclaimed. "That's kinda low, don't you think?"</p><p>Gwen huffed, her shoulders sagging as she picked up her trigonometry textbook. "Yeah, it probably was. Sorry."</p><p>"Okay, fine," replied Peter. "But… what's going on? Did something happen that I don't know about?" He and Gwen had started to discuss possible college choices over the summer at Gwen's suggestion, but only casually, as Peter hadn't really wanted to think about it all that much. He'd always figured that he'd either wind up going to Columbia, his preferred choice at the moment, or MIT, Dad and Uncle James's alma mater, and since he and Gwen were still only juniors in high school he had decided that he didn't need to worry much more about it yet.</p><p>But regardless of where he did end up going, Peter knew he wouldn't get accepted only because he was Tony Stark's son. He was more than smart enough in his own right to get into any college he chose.</p><p>Gwen's pretty green eyes flicked nervously around the hallway before landing on Peter's. "Yeah, actually. I got a letter in the mail yesterday, inviting me to interview for a summer internship."</p><p>"Really? That's so awesome!" Peter exclaimed. Gwen had told him that she'd sent in several applications for different summer internship programs for the following year, hoping that her experience working at Stark Industries over the previous summer would be a good stepping stone.</p><p>"What's the interview for?"</p><p>Gwen bit her bottom lip, shifting nervously on her feet. "It's for a physics internship," she said. "At Oxford."</p><p>Peter blinked, feeling like he'd just been punched in the gut. "Um… you mean the Oxford that—that's in—?"</p><p>"That's in England," Gwen finished, closing her locker door. "Yeah, that one."</p><p>"Oh," Peter squeaked. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure there's only one Oxford."</p><p>"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're right."</p><p>"Okay… so… um… why're they having interviews for the summer already when it's still October?" he asked. "Isn't that kinda early?"</p><p>"Well… it's a pretty competitive internship, so I'm guessing they need to interview a lot of people. And there's five slots, so that probably means more interviews too."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess," Peter muttered. "But… still…"</p><p>
  <em>Why? Why do you want to go to a whole other country?</em>
</p><p>"It'd just be for the summer, Peter," Gwen said, as if she'd read his mind. "If I got it, which is still a pretty big if, I'd leave for England three days after the end of school and get back about three or four days before our senior year starts up."</p><p><em>Only three or four days? </em>Peter thought as he mindlessly started walking down the bustling hallway, towards his own locker. <em>That won't give us hardly any time to do anything!</em></p><p>"Okay, but—"</p><p>"It'd just be for the summer, Peter," Gwen repeated. "The internship is for ten weeks, then a couple of days on either end."</p><p>"Yeah, I kinda figured that out," Peter snapped, guilt slapping him in the face when Gwen's face fell. He really had no right to be upset with her, especially when he already spent nearly every weekend away from her and was gone for three weeks in Ireland over the summer, including his sixteenth birthday.</p><p><em>But that was different, </em>he thought petulantly. <em>That was only for three weeks, not the entire summer.</em></p><p>The fact that Gwen was probably seriously considering Oxford as a college choice suddenly hit Peter, and he let out a hard shudder, feeling like he'd just been zapped by one of Auntie Nat's widow's bites. He could barely handle the thought of Gwen being away for eleven weeks, there's no way they'd be able to survive four whole years apart on separate continents.</p><p>
  <em>Oh, God, no! Please, don't leave me!</em>
</p><p>But how could he tell her that? How could Peter tell her that he still saw her falling to her death nearly every single night as he slept, still saw himself trying desperately to save her, and being just a split second too late.</p><p>He couldn't.</p><p>Because if he did, if he told her that almost every night his dreams were haunted with the horrifying scene of her falling, that he could still hear the sickening <em>crack </em>of her head slamming into the concrete floor, then she wouldn't go, and that wouldn't be fair to her. Gwen was brilliant, and she deserved the best opportunities that she could find. And if that meant taking one that took her across the ocean from him, then Peter would just have to learn how to deal with it.</p><p>"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I—I didn't mean it like that."</p><p>Gwen tilted her head, giving him the smile that always sent butterflies flitting inside his stomach.</p><p>"I know you didn't," she said. "But it's okay anyway."</p><p>"Thanks," Peter said. He twisted to avoid a student's swinging backpack, then barely a second later ducked underneath another student's flailing arm at the same time as he pulled Gwen around a third, who was for whatever reason choosing to walk backwards. <em>How in the hell did I used to be able to walk down these hallways without getting stomped on?</em></p><p>
  <em>Oh, that's right. I didn't.</em>
</p><p>"So… um… when—when's the interview?"</p><p>"It's the week before Thanksgiving," answered Gwen. "They want to give us plenty of time to prepare beforehand."</p><p>"Oh. Well, that's nice of them."</p><p>"Peter," Gwen said as they finally arrived at Peter's locker, thankfully both still in one piece. "It's just an interview. It doesn't mean that I'm actually gonna get offered a position."</p><p>"Yeah, right. No one's gonna be dumb enough to pass on you, and you know it." Peter rolled his eyes as his first attempt at wrangling with his combination lock failed miserably, pursing his lips as he tried again. The hallway behind him was still packed with students yelling every which way, with every single sound scraping across his sensitive ears like one of Uncle Clint's arrowheads. His exhaustion wasn't helping with his eyesight either, but he'd been too distracted that morning to remember where he'd left his glasses and hadn't wanted to bother Papa or Dad about them.</p><p>Gwen smiled, her pale cheeks flushing a light pink. "Well… even if I do, there's still the whole logistics of me moving to England for three months, which Mom and Dad aren't too sure about."</p><p>"Yeah, I can understand that," Peter said, breathing a slight sigh of relief as he finally was able to open his locker. There was no way in hell his dads would ever allow him to go overseas by himself at age sixteen. "I'm sure there'd be a dorm or something they could put you up in though, isn't there?"</p><p>"Maybe," said Gwen. "Probably. I don't know, I guess I'll find that out at the interview. I'm trying to not get my hopes up though."</p><p>Peter nodded, pulling out the books he needed for his homework that evening. "So… then… this is what you're really wanting to do? Study at Oxford?"</p><p>"I don't know, Peter," Gwen said with a sigh. She tightened the strap of her backpack, her green eyes troubled. "I'm just… trying to keep my options open at the moment. It's nothing personal—"</p><p>"I know that—" Peter said quickly. "It's just an internship."</p><p>Gwen's eyebrows knitted together. "If it's just an internship, why're you acting like I'm breaking up with you or something?"</p><p>Sliding the final book into his backpack, Peter slammed his locker door closed, huffing in annoyance when the thin metal bent beneath his palm.</p><p>
  <em>That's three… </em>
</p><p>"I'm not acting like you're breaking up with me," he said through clenched teeth. "I'm only—"</p><p>"Denting your locker door because you're in perfect control of yourself?" Gwen said, raising an eyebrow. She reached a hand up to cup Peter's cheek, turning his face to meet her eyes. "It's just an interview, Peter. For a summer internship that my father might not even allow me to take. Let's not make it anything more than what it is, okay?"</p><p>Peter gave a reluctant nod, attempting to smile. "Okay."</p><p>"Thanks," murmured Gwen. She elbowed him playfully in the side as they made their way towards the exit. "So, who's picking you up tonight?"</p><p>"Uh, just Papa," answered Peter. "Dad's busy working on some stuff with Uncle Bruce."</p><p>Gwen let out a giggle as they arrived at the doors, prompting Peter to make an attempt at a smile. Her laugh was one of the things that he liked about her the most.</p><p>"What's so funny?"</p><p>"Oh, nothing," she said as she giggled again. "Just that you think it's perfectly normal to refer to <em>the </em>Dr Bruce Banner, the world's foremost expert in about eleventy billion things, as 'Uncle Bruce'."</p><p>Peter smiled, finally allowing himself to chuckle. "Yeah, I guess that is something, hmm?"</p><p>Opening the doors, Peter found Papa leaning against the cab of his truck in his usual spot in the parking lot, talking with Chief Stacy, Gwen's father, who was standing outside of his unmarked police car. As soon as Gwen saw them she tugged on Peter's arm, reaching to plant a quick kiss on his cheek.</p><p>"Talk to you tonight?" she asked.</p><p>"Yeah," answered Peter. "I'll FaceTime you."</p><p>"Sounds good."</p><p>"Well, there they are," said Chief Stacy as they arrived at the two parked vehicles. "Captain Rogers and I were just talking about the two of you."</p><p>"Isn't that what you're always talking about, Dad?" asked Gwen. "Hello, Captain Rogers."</p><p>"Hello, Gwen," answered Papa with a friendly smile. "How was your day?"</p><p>Gwen shrugged. "Eh, you know. Just another typical school day."</p><p>"Yep, just another typical day in a school full of geniuses," said Chief Stacy. "Have a nice evening, Captain, Peter."</p><p>"Thank you," Peter said as he climbed into the truck's passenger seat. As soon as he'd fastened his seatbelt, he tipped his head back, rubbing at his temples.</p><p>"Got another headache, little guy?" Papa asked as he started the engine, gesturing for Chief Stacy to get in front of him. "Did you forget your glasses again?"</p><p>"Yeah," Peter murmured, trying very hard not to pout. It was bad enough that his dads still treated him like a little kid, he didn't need to give them more ammunition. "But at least I know exactly where they are this time. They're sitting on the bedside table in my room."</p><p>"And you didn't call or text me to bring them to you… why?" Papa gently asked. "You know I don't mind doing that stuff for you."</p><p>Peter huffed out a sharp breath, closing his eyes as Papa pulled onto the street. "I know… I just didn't wanna bother you."</p><p>"Peter," Papa said sternly. "You're never a bother to me, and you know it."</p><p>"Yeah, I know," said Peter. "Um… is Dad still working on the SHIELD stuff?"</p><p>He heard Papa chuckle at his blatant attempt to change the subject. "As far as I know, yes, he and Bruce have been in the lab for most of the day. They even ran out of coffee at one point."</p><p>Peter's eyes snapped open in surprise, an action he immediately regretted when the sun just happened to emerge from behind a cloud right at that very second. He immediately shrank back, crying out at the harshness of the light, which prompted Papa to reach into the glove compartment for an extra pair of sunglasses.</p><p>"Here, little guy," he said quietly. "These should help."</p><p>"Thanks," Peter murmured as he slid the dark glasses into place. "So… um… they ran out of coffee? How'd that happen?"</p><p>"Well… Dad hasn't been sleeping all that great lately, and when he doesn't sleep—"</p><p>"His coffee intake increases exponentially," finished Peter. "Yeah, that sounds familiar."</p><p>"I ran out and got them some more, but it has been awhile since we've been to the grocery store, so I was thinking we could go tomorrow night after dinner," added Papa. "As long as you're done with your homework."</p><p>Peter gave a nod. He always enjoyed going grocery shopping with Papa. "Uh huh, that's fine."</p><p>"And then Thursday night I'm gonna be going with Uncle Sam and Uncle Bucky to the Mets game, so Dad will be picking you up from school after Robotics Lab, okay?"</p><p>"Uh huh. Sounds good."</p><p>Papa fell silent as they waited at a red light, patting him on the knee as it turned green.</p><p>"Hey, you feel like getting a quick treat before we head home?"</p><p>As if on cue, Peter's stomach growled, causing them both to laugh. "I guess I'll take that as a yes?" asked Papa.</p><p>"I would definitely agree with that assessment." In Peter's exhausted haze earlier that morning he had only packed about half of his usual amount of snacks, and had been planning on raiding the kitchen as soon as he got home.</p><p>And eating dessert before dinner was something that Peter turned down. At least once every couple of weeks if Dad was busy in the lab or something, he and Papa would take a detour on the way home for ice cream.</p><p>He bounced impatiently in his seat as Papa pulled into the parking lot of one of their favourite little cafés, a place he and Papa sometimes ate at when Dad was out of town.</p><p>"Two Dr Pepper floats, please," Papa said to the waitress once they were seated. As soon as she stepped away, Papa leaned forward, his blue eyes radiating concern. "So… I was talking with Chief Stacy up at the school while we were waiting for you and Gwen, and—"</p><p>"Yeah, she's gonna be at Oxford all next summer," Peter blurted out. "She's got an interview for a physics internship there coming up next month."</p><p>"That's not for sure yet, little guy," Papa said. "Chief Stacy has a lot of concerns about her being so far away, and—"</p><p>"Yeah, and he can concern all he wants, but she's still gonna end up going," Peter said bitterly. "'Cause once she gets in, not even her dad's gonna be able to say no. I mean, how could he? It's Oxford!" He sniffed as the waitress set their overflowing floats down in front of them, his eyes burning with tears as he tried to unwrap his straw with shaking fingers. Apparently he was still a lot more upset about it than he'd thought.</p><p>Papa let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head as he scooped out a huge bite of ice cream from his glass. The little crinkle between his eyebrows that Dad always called his worry wrinkle was on full display, and Peter always hated when Papa was worried.</p><p>Especially about him.</p><p>"Yes, it is Oxford, but that doesn't change the fact that it's thousands of miles away," he said.</p><p>"But, Papa, it's <em>Oxford!"</em> Peter repeated. "She'd be stupid to turn down something like that, and Gwen is nowhere near stupid!"</p><p>"No, she's not, Peter, but you and Gwen are still very young," said Papa. "There's still plenty of time to be going all over the world alone. Sixteen is pretty young to be so far away from your family."</p><p>"She'll be seventeen by the time she goes," muttered Peter.</p><p>"Okay, but seventeen still isn't an adult," Papa said firmly. "Which means—"</p><p>"But what difference does a year make, really?" Peter demanded. "I mean, is there really such a huge difference between seventeen and eighteen? I know you and Dad seem to think so, but then your ma used to let you walk all over Brooklyn by yourself when you were four, so—"</p><p>"That was a long time ago, and things were very different back then," Papa stated. He held out his arms, glancing around the busy café. "Things were a lot slower and simpler, and there weren't as many threats out there as there are now." He paused, poking his straw at the ice cream in his float. "Threats we still can't seem to shake no matter how hard we try, so… I'm sorry, Peter, but until you're a legal adult, you're just going to have to live with the rules that Dad and I set. And if those rules seem to be a bit overbearing… well… then I'm afraid that's just how it's going to be."</p><p>Something about the tone of Papa's voice, the way it quivered ever-so-slightly, was eerie enough to send an ice-cold shiver down Peter's spine, the shiver he'd come to recognise as his Spider Sense. Something was badly wrong.</p><p>"Papa, what—what is it?" he asked. "What did Dad find in the SHIELD data?"</p><p>A soft smile stretched across Papa's lips, and he reached for Peter's hand, giving it a light squeeze. "Sometimes I forget just how perceptive you are, little guy," he said. "Don't ever lose that, okay? Empathy is so important, and so many people seem to have forgotten that."</p><p>Peter wrinkled his nose. He found it highly unlikely that Papa ever forgot anything with his eidetic memory, but he appreciated the compliment anyway.</p><p>"Yeah, okay, but… I'm right, aren't I?" Peter asked. "Dad and Uncle Bruce found something in the data?"</p><p>Papa gulped, fiddling with his spoon. "Yes," he finally said. "From what they can tell, whatever it was that attacked Wakanda came from somewhere in space."</p><p>Another shiver raced down Peter's spine, and he suddenly wished that Papa had asked for French fries instead of ice cream. He tried to shake it off, taking a big sip of his float as he tried to figure out what Papa's proclamation meant.</p><p>"So… that probably means that—"</p><p>"Dad said there's no way to determine what it means until we're able to meet with a representative of the Wakandan government," Papa cut in. "We've got Director Fury trying to open a diplomatic dialogue now, but there's so many government loopholes he's gotta jump through first, and—"</p><p>"And you're worried there'll be another attack before he's able to get anywhere," finished Peter. "'Cause it's the government."</p><p>"Exactly," said Papa. He let out a sort of frustrated chuckle. "You would think that after almost half of the Senate and House were arrested for colluding with HYDRA that things might work their way through the channels a bit faster, but apparently that's not the case."</p><p>"Mmm," muttered Peter. "Government is government."</p><p>"Yes, it is," agreed Papa. "And unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be something that's changed at all over time."</p><p>They were quiet for a few minutes, sipping at their floats as they watched the various people coming in and out of the café. Peter could tell that something else was bothering Papa, but he didn't want to push him too much. Papa would tell him when he was ready.</p><p>Plus, he figured that sometimes Papa just needed a break from being in charge all the time. While the whole 'with great power comes great responsibility' thing definitely sounded cool, in reality it was sometimes just a heck of a lot of weight on a person's shoulders. Weight that not even a super soldier should have to constantly carry.</p><p>Finally, once he was almost finished with his float, Peter cleared his throat. He'd thought he had heard Dad head down the hall towards his lab during the night last night, and had even been tempted for a bit to join him. But he'd ended up falling asleep again before making up his mind, and by the time his alarm went off for school, Dad was back asleep.</p><p>"So… why's Dad having so much trouble sleeping lately?" he asked. "Is he okay?"</p><p>Papa's lips twitched at the question, nearly causing Peter to burst out laughing. Once again, "okay" was a very relative term, with such a fluid definition depending on the circumstances that it was pretty impossible to quantify. And it wasn't only that way for Peter and his dads, but for the rest of their family as well. In fact, Peter was shocked that some psychologist or psychiatrist hadn't yet tried to have the entire Avengers team committed after all the crap that they'd been through, not the least of which was dealing with the very same Chitauri aliens who, if Peter was guessing correctly, were trying to come back.</p><p>"He's just having some bad dreams, Peter," Papa said, rather despondently. "Nothing new, just… a bit more often lately. I'm making sure that he's talking about them with Sam, though."</p><p><em>Uh huh. And what about you?</em> Peter thought. Typical Papa, always looking out for everyone's health except his own.</p><p>Yet another holdover from his early twentieth century upbringing.</p><p>"Well, that seems to go around our house quite a bit, hmm?" Peter asked.</p><p>"Yeah, it does. Be kinda nice if it stopped though, if only for a little while," Papa said with a sad smile. He twirled the wedding ring on his finger, a replacement Dad had made for the one that HYDRA stole from him. "What about you, little guy? Was your night okay last night?"</p><p>Peter shrugged, his face flushing hot. He should've never told Papa about what Wanda had made him see.</p><p>"Peter?" Papa asked, his eyebrows knitting together. "It's okay, little guy, you can tell me."</p><p>"Papa, it's nothing—"</p><p>"No, it's not nothing, Peter," Papa said in his Captain's voice. "Not if it's upsetting you."</p><p>Tears welled in Peter's eyes, that he quickly brushed away. <em>So much for trying to act like an Avenger.</em></p><p>"I know Wanda didn't mean to make us see what we saw in that HYDRA bunker," he began. "And I know she still feels bad about it, but… they—they still—I mean, I still—I just wish that I could unsee them, you know? 'Cause—'cause, and now with Gwen wanting to go away to England, I just—I can't not see her falling, and I keep thinking, how am I supposed to protect her if she's all the way over there? I mean, not even our Quinjet can get to England that fast, so…"</p><p>"Oh, my sweet boy," Papa said as he took Peter's hand, cradling it in his own. "Peter, have you talked with Uncle Sam about this?"</p><p>Peter gave a nod. "Yeah, I have, and he just said the same thing that he always says, which is that I just have to give it time. But, <em>God, </em>Papa, how're we supposed to give things like this time if they just keep happening?"</p><p>"I don't know, little guy," answered Papa. "And I wish so badly that I did. I wish I could just take you and Dad into my arms and hug away all of the horrible things that we've been through. But—"</p><p>"But you can't," said Peter. "And that's not your fault either, Papa. It's just… how it is." It didn't help that Wanda still felt the need to apologise to Peter—and Papa and Dad as well—nearly every single time that they saw each other. It wasn't her fault that HYDRA had captured her and Pietro and experimented on them, like they had with Peter. Forcing her to imbed those awful visions into Papa's and Peter's minds had just been a part of her torture.</p><p>It still really, <em>really </em>sucked though.</p><p>"Well, it may be how it is, but that doesn't mean any of us have to like it," said Papa. "So please, little guy, don't feel like you have to hide anything from Dad and me, okay? If you're struggling, we want to know so we can help you."</p><p>Peter breathed in a slow breath, biting down on his bottom lip. "Uh huh," he said softly.</p><p>"Thank you," Papa said, so sincerely that a knot rose in Peter's throat. As much as he often disliked how overprotective his dads were, at least he never had to wonder whether or not they loved him.</p><p>And, if pressed, he would gladly choose the overprotectiveness. Every single time.</p><p>"Are Dad and Uncle Bruce still working?" he asked as they headed out of the café. "I was kinda hoping to see what they found."</p><p>"No, Bruce mentioned something else that he needed to do for Director Fury at three today," Papa said, checking his watch. "But I'd bet that Dad will still be in the lab when we get back, so you can ask him all about it." He paused, halting Peter before he could climb into the truck. "Just remember, little guy, we can't say anything about any of this, okay? The news people have already caused enough of a panic about a possible space attack, and we don't want to be adding to it until we know what's going on."</p><p>"Uh huh, I know," said Peter. He had heard a few students discussing the news stories in the hallways that day, and Ned had even asked him about it during lunch, telling Peter that the president of his mom's book club had called her that morning to ask if she knew if the Avengers were heading to Africa yet.</p><p>"I'm really glad we had this talk, little guy," Papa said as he pulled into the Tower garage.</p><p>"Uh huh," said Peter. "Me too."</p><p>Papa smiled, ruffling Peter's hair. "You gonna start your homework once we get upstairs?"</p><p>"After I see what Dad's up to," Peter answered. "Is that okay?"</p><p>"As long as you report for dinner duty at six, all right? I'm pretty sure Uncle Bucky and Uncle Sam will be joining us."</p><p>"Uh huh. I'll be there." With very rare exceptions, Peter always helped Papa make dinner every night, and it was especially fun when he knew his uncles were coming.</p><p>As the elevator climbed up to the Tower's top floor, Peter's ears picked up the thundering beat of AC/DC coming from Dad's lab, a beat that instantly dropped to one-third the volume as soon as the doors opened into the penthouse. Peter and Papa's ears were both so sensitive to the loud noise that Dad had programmed JARVIS to drop the volume the moment he detected their presence in the penthouse.</p><p>"I'm gonna go see if I can get in touch with Director Fury now, little guy," Papa said. He patted Peter on the shoulder. "And I'm sure Dad's already expecting you."</p><p>"Uh huh. Thanks for the ice cream."</p><p>Papa smiled, showing off the dimple that drove Dad mad. "Anytime, little guy."</p><hr/><p>Tony ran his finger across his chin as he studied the blue hologram hovering in midair in front of him, walking slowly around it as he checked for any holes or other errors. After being awoken during the night by yet another nightmare, he'd made a sort of breakthrough in his thought process for the design, and was very eager to see if it was working.</p><p>"Okay, so… what do you think, J?" he asked, stopping suddenly to squint at something that turned out to just be a tiny flicker in the projection. "How's it looking?"</p><p>"I do not see any errors in either the design or its specifications, sir," answered JARVIS. "Would you like to run a diagnostic on this projection?"</p><p>"Yep," said Tony. "Knock yourself out." He picked up his freshly refilled coffee cup, taking a large gulp as the hologram flickered several times before returning to its still, glowing state.</p><p>"Diagnostic found no errors, sir," said JARVIS.</p><p>"Ah huh. And how 'bout the coalescing problem we were having?" he asked as he set down his cup, giving DUM-E's arm a quick pat. Out of all of the issues Tony had had with the suit design, programming the nanites to form the correct weapon on command had been the most difficult to figure out, requiring literally hundreds of hours of coding and testing, and a lot of very loud cursing.</p><p>The last part only when Steve wasn't around, of course.</p><p>"That seems to be resolved, sir, at least for the moment."</p><p>"Ah huh. That's a good thing." He pressed his palm to his chest, running his fingertip along the outline of Steve's dog tags under his shirt. "Um… go ahead and show me how it fits into the case."</p><p>"Very good, sir."</p><p>Tony watched in awe as the hologram began to shrink, the nanites absorbing into the holographic container like they had been vacuumed up until the container was the only thing remaining. Then he stepped forward, aligning the container against his mid-chest, directly over his scars from the arc reactor.</p><p>"Nanotech suit deployment test number one, JARVIS," he said. "You ready?"</p><p>"I am recording, sir."</p><p>Tony nodded, relaxing his shoulders the way Steve had taught him during their sparring lessons. Then he tapped the container twice with his fingers and closed his eyes, his breath hitching as the holographic nanites began to emerge from the container, expanding across his chest and down his arms and legs, with the helmet locking into position a few seconds later. For a moment, Tony was frozen in place, afraid to move in case he suddenly lost nanite coalescence.</p><p>"Uhh… J?" he finally asked through clenched teeth. "Are we—are we good here?"</p><p>"It appears that we are, sir," JARVIS answered. "I am detecting no anomalies with either the nanite design or their structure."</p><p>"Ah huh, that's good," he murmured. "So… why don't we try something like this…" He raised his arm and flexed his palm, his heart fluttering as the nanites followed suit.</p><p>"JARVIS? Still looking okay?" he asked.</p><p>"Indeed, sir. I am detecting no nanite de-coalescence."</p><p>Fighting the urge to jump for joy, Tony raised his other arm and planted his right leg slightly behind him, assuming his usual repulsor firing position.</p><p>"Give me ten percent, J, yeah? Let's not scare the boys on the first test."</p><p>"As you wish, sir," JARVIS said, followed immediately by the familiar sound of his repulsors charging. They fired a split-second later, emanating the sound of his conventional suits almost perfectly.</p><p>"Repulsor test at ten percent successful, sir," said JARVIS. "Preparing to power down."</p><p>"Yeah, that's a go," said Tony. He lowered his arms, a huge smile spreading across his lips as the holographic nanites absorbed back into their container. Finally, he seemed to have broken through the proverbial brick wall with this tech.</p><p>"Shall I commence with rendering, sir?" JARVIS asked. "I do believe the diagnostics with the physical nanites will take several days."</p><p>"Then yeah, you'd better get going, J," said Tony. "'Cause once I'm certain that this works, I'm gonna be building one for both Steve and Pete, you got that?"</p><p>There was a short pause, as if JARVIS was contemplating Tony's statement. "I do recall Captain Rogers repeatedly expressing in the past that he has no interest in wearing armour, sir?"</p><p>Tony's eyebrows knitted together as he picked up his coffee cup. "Yeah? So?"</p><p>"I would then venture to believe that he would therefore decline the offer of this armour as well, sir," said JARVIS. "Would you not?"</p><p>"No, I would not, 'cause it's not gonna feel like armour to him," Tony said firmly. "If my math is correct, and it always is—"</p><p>"Oh, always, sir," JARVIS stated.</p><p>"Yeah, so then by my calculations, these nanites will form into whatever kind of suit they're programmed to form. Which means if I program them to form a Captain America suit, then—"</p><p>"It will then have the look and feel of a Captain America suit," finished JARVIS. "Very clever, sir."</p><p>"But do you really think Papa's gonna wanna wear one of those thingys on his chest like that?" Peter suddenly asked from behind Tony, causing him to whip around so fast that he nearly tipped over.</p><p>"Jesus Christ, Pete!" he gasped, gulping for air as he took in his sweet son, who was dipping into a full-sized bag of Doritos. "Buddy, you've gotta quit being so damn quiet!"</p><p>Peter grimaced, trying to step back just as Tony reached for him, pulling him into a quick hug.</p><p>"Sorry, Dad. I forgot."</p><p>"No, no, it's okay, bud. I knew you guys got home 'cause the music cut down, but when you didn't show up I assumed you were doing something with Papa somewhere." He ruffled Peter's hair, blatantly ignoring the fact that Peter was now almost too tall for him to easily do so.</p><p>"Nope, I've been standing here the whole time," Peter said. He gave Tony a rather eager smile. "Are you really gonna build one of those nanotech suits for me?"</p><p>"Long as I can get all the kinks worked out, buddy," answered Tony. "And then, yep. Yours is second on my list."</p><p>"Really?" exclaimed Peter. "That's so awesome, Dad!"</p><p>"It'll only be for training, bud, just so you're aware," Tony said carefully. "Papa and I's stance on that hasn't changed. I'm even gonna keep it stored up at the Compound since that should be the only place you're ever gonna need it, but—"</p><p>"Until I turn eighteen," Peter interrupted, frowning. "Yeah, yeah, I know. So when will I get to try out the new suit?"</p><p>"Once I build it," said Tony. "And I still have to build and test mine first, so it's probably gonna be awhile."</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter said, in that little sing-songy <em>woe is me</em> voice that he'd had perfected for almost as long as he could talk. Even his puppy dog eyes were blazing in full force, testing Tony's already thin patience.</p><p>"C'mon, Pete, I'm really not in the mood for thi—"</p><p>"So, what did you and Uncle Bruce find out about Wakanda?" Peter asked, cutting Tony off mid-word. He popped another chip into his mouth, licking the toxic-looking orange dust from his fingertips. "Papa said you guys were working on it all afternoon."</p><p>"Most of the afternoon, yeah," answered Tony. "Darn Bruce ended up drinking the rest of my coffee too. Papa had to run out and get me more."</p><p>"Yeah, he told me," Peter said rapidly. "So… what did you guys find? Did it really come from space?"</p><p>A blast of fear suddenly hit Tony like a repulsor shot, nearly causing him to double over. He'd been hoping against hope that somehow all the SHIELD people had been wrong, because… well… none of them were him.</p><p>But they hadn't been. From what both Tony and Bruce had been able to determine, the strange beam that attacked Wakanda had originated from space.</p><p>Which either meant that some enemy of the United States had somehow managed to do an end-around every single intelligence source on the planet and secretly come up with new space-faring weapons technology, or it was the Chitauri.</p><p>Again.</p><p>Tony pressed his palm to his chest, pushing Steve's dog tags into the scarred skin covering his pounding heart. "Yeah, bud, it did," he whispered. "But you know that doesn't necessarily mean what you think it might mean."</p><p>Peter shot Tony one of his <em>duh </em>looks. "C'mon, Dad. I know I'm not an official Avenger, but I'm not eleven years old anymore either."</p><p>"I know you're not," Tony said quickly. "You're sixteen now, which you seem fit to remind us almost on a daily basis."</p><p>
  <em>Good freaking grief! Why the hell is he so eager to grow up so damn fast!</em>
</p><p>"Daaaddd…"</p><p>Tony huffed as he picked up his coffee cup, downing the rest of the lukewarm liquid as Peter stood his ground. The boy was just too damn smart for his own good most of the time.</p><p>"It's probably them, Pete," he finally said, ignoring the stab of fear piercing his side. "Actually, not even probably."</p><p>"The Chitauri?" Peter asked.</p><p>"Yeah. But, as to why they're suddenly attacking Wakanda instead of New York, we don't know, and we also don't know why they stopped after only one blast. Papa's working with Fury to see if we can get some sort of dialogue open with the Wakandan king, but until that happens we probably won't learn anything else."</p><p>Peter nodded, folding up the top of his chip bag. "Well… we were able to beat them back once, right? And if we can get Wakanda to help us, then I'm sure we'd be fine. I mean, if even a fraction of all the rumours about their awesome tech are true, then we should definitely be okay. Right?"</p><p>"Absolutely, bud," Tony said, relieved when his voice didn't crack. "And if anyone can convince them to start talking to us, it's Fury and Papa, right?"</p><p>"Oh, definitely," agreed Peter. "Papa could probably command a bunch of rocks to come to life and they'd do it."</p><p>"Exactly." Tony opened his arms, letting out a slight shudder when Peter didn't hesitate to step into them. He buried his fingers into his sweet boy's curls, closing his eyes as the faint scent of green apples filled his nostrils.</p><p>Sixteen years old, and he still never turned down a single offered hug.</p><p>"You don't need to worry about anything, Pete," he murmured into Peter's hair. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, and neither is Papa."</p><p>
  <em>Not again. Not ever again.</em>
</p><p>"Dad, I know that," Peter said, muffled in Tony's shoulder. "I'm literally surrounded by superheroes, right?"</p><p>"Yep," Tony stated. "You're damn right."</p><p>"And I'm kinda one myself," Peter said as he lifted his head. "Well, at least on weekends."</p><p>"And only on weekends, buddy," said Tony. He planted a quick kiss on Peter's forehead, jerking his head towards Peter's corner of the lab. "Now, go get your books so you can get started on your homework, yeah?"</p><p>"Uh huh."</p><p>Tony watched as Peter exited the lab, returning a minute later with his backpack and a bottle of blue Powerade, his curls flopping down over his forehead as he settled in to do his trigonometry homework. Tony's throat tightened as he watched him for a moment out of the corner of his eye before returning to his own workstation. It never failed to amaze Tony how a kid could go through all the shit that Peter had gone through and still be able to retain some semblance of normality.</p><p>
  <em>Sixteen years old, and he's already been blown up, kidnapped, used as a human guinea pig, forced to dream-share with a brainwashed assassin, and tortured.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Oh, and then kidnapped and tortured again, just for kicks.</em>
</p><p>And that was just Peter. Add in everything that had happened to Steve since he'd been pulled from the ice, and… well… it was no wonder that no one ever got a decent night's sleep in the penthouse.</p><p>It was enough to make Tony want to build a suit of armour around the entire world, which he logistically could have accomplished if the newly-elected president's National Security Advisor had agreed to allow Tony to expand the capabilities of his defence drones. But, as it was, under current federal law the drones were still only able to be classified as a home defence system, and therefore could not be legally made more powerful than they currently were. At the moment, Tony's drones guarded the Tower, the Compound, and the Stark Industries building in D.C., but so far that was the extent of their reach.</p><p>Politics, unfortunately, seemed to be proceeding as usual following the roundup of HYDRA's forces within the U.S. government, something that both disappointed and worried Tony. And Steve as well.</p><p>And now, faced with the very real possibility that another Chitauri invasion was imminent, Tony was damned if he was going to allow his husband or son to be hurt yet again because someone else was too afraid to act. Those images that he saw every single night, and that lived in the back of his mind every waking moment, those images of his beloved husband, beaten and bloodied and lying sprawled out on the battlefield, and of Peter, taking his last terrified breath in his arms…</p><p><em>No! </em>Tony screamed inside his head. <em>I won't let it happen!</em></p><p>He <em>couldn't</em> let it happen, which meant that he had to be ready. No matter what, when whatever the hell it was that was coming came, Tony had to be ready to protect them.</p><p>Whatever it took.</p><hr/><p>"Oh, come <em>on!"</em> Bucky yelled as the Mets batter swung and missed a pitch that he'd had absolutely no business swinging at. "Now that was just goddamn ridiculous, is what that was!"</p><p>"Aw, c'mon, Bucky," said Sam from Bucky's opposite side. "You know the dude's just trying to warm up a bit more. These baseball players aren't used to playing in such cold weather."</p><p>Steve grinned as he watched Bucky open his mouth to respond, then snap it closed again a second later, probably trying to figure out if Sam was yanking his chain again, as he called it.</p><p>"Are you trying to say that the Mets aren't used to playing in October weather 'cause they're wimps, or just 'cause they suck?" he finally asked.</p><p>"I'm pretty sure neither of those choices are very good ones, Buck," said Steve, wincing as the Mets batter swung and missed for strike three. He gestured towards the scoreboard, displaying the rather embarrassing score of 8-3 in favour of the Washington Nationals. Sam, having been a resident of the D.C. area for several years, was of course rooting for the Nationals, and hadn't let up on his needling ever since the third Washington batter launched a ball over the left-field fence with a runner on second in the top of the first inning.</p><p>It was not looking good for the poor Mets.</p><p>"Yeah, I know, 'cause the Mets suck," grumbled Bucky, folding his arms across his chest. "Hmph. Our ole Dodgers wouldn't've treated me like this."</p><p>"Those 'ole Dodgers play all the way across the country now, and they didn't even make the playoffs," said Sam. "So why don't you just quit your whining and let me gloat for a bit here."</p><p>"Oh, like you never gloat?" said Bucky. "If that's the case, then who was it that was telling us the whole way over here about how he finally beat Петр at chess yesterday, hmm? Стиви, was that you?"</p><p>"No, Bucky, it wasn't me," Steve said with a laugh. "You know I'm not good enough at chess to beat Peter."</p><p>"Nah, 'cause hardly anyone is," said Bucky. "But apparently Сэм can if the moon is full and Mercury is in retrograde, or some shit like that, and then everybody's gotta hear all about it for the next three weeks."</p><p>"Sounds to me like someone's a bit jealous," Sam said out of the corner of his mouth, followed immediately by a loud whoop as the leadoff Washington batter's bat connected with a fastball, bouncing towards the right-field corner for a double.</p><p>Nope, it was definitely <em>not</em> a good night for the Mets.</p><p>But despite his team's lousy play that evening, Steve was very happy that he had decided to join his teammates for the game. It'd been a long time since he'd been to a baseball game, and while the massive and glamorous Citi Field wasn't quite the same as the old Ebbets Field that he and Bucky used to sneak into back in the day, baseball was still baseball.</p><p>One of the few timeless experiences he'd had since waking up from the ice.</p><p>"Well, I'd like to say that I'm sorry, guys, but… I'd be lying," Sam said as the final Mets batter struck out to end the game and the entire stadium erupted in boos. Steve watched as the frustrated batter slammed his bat down onto the plate as the entire Nationals dugout emptied onto the field, the players all celebrating their playoff win.</p><p>"Yeah, of course you would be," Bucky said. "'Cause you're mean."</p><p>Sam laughed, elbowing Bucky playfully in the side. "C'mon, grumpy, let's get out of here before the traffic gets too bad."</p><p>Steve hung back as the three of them walked to Sam's car, smiling as he listened to Sam and Bucky's playful banter. It was amazing, really, how healthy Bucky was now compared to how he'd been when they first brought him to the Tower after Project Insight went down. Back when Bucky had little idea of who he truly was, and when no one could even approach him without fear of being attacked.</p><p>And now, thanks largely to Peter and Sam, Bucky was almost back to his normal self.</p><p>And, dare Steve say, more than a bit smitten with a certain other teammate, despite his repeated assurances back before the war that he was only interested in the gals.</p><p>He wondered how long it would be before one of them decided to act on their feelings, since from Steve's perspective, Sam was just as smitten.</p><p><em>Maybe I should get Peter on the task</em>, Steve thought fondly. Peter's advice back when he first discovered Steve's pining for Tony had been invaluable in pushing him to ask Tony out for their first date, and he knew Peter's encouragement to Tony had been just as helpful.</p><p>As he had painfully learned in the past four years, life was far too unpredictable to not be with the people you love.</p><p>He had just climbed into the backseat of Sam's car when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, dread washing over him like a wave as he read Tony's text, accompanied by a link to a breaking news headline.</p><p>"Steve? You okay back there?" Sam asked, glancing through the rearview mirror.</p><p>Steve could only shake his head as he tapped on the link, briefly squeezing his eyes closed as it loaded. Just like they had been a couple days ago, the news report was more speculation than information, but he couldn't deny that it was definitely not good.</p><p>"Стиви?" Bucky asked as he twisted around in his seat. "You've gone all pale, what happened?"</p><p>"There's been," Steve croaked, clearing his throat. "There's been another attack, in Africa."</p><p>"You mean another space attack?" Sam said. "Like the one—?"</p><p>"We don't know yet, Tony says the scientists are still studying the data," Steve said. "All we know is that this time it wasn't in Wakanda, it was in Namibia."</p><p>"Namibia?" Bucky said, confused. "Why would anyone attack there? Are they hiding some super-secret tech too or something?"</p><p>Steve shook his head. "No, but they were hosting a humanitarian delegation from Wakanda, one that included their king, T’Chaka."</p><p>"Oh, shit," Sam said in a low voice. "So, does that mean that—?"</p><p>"Yeah, it does," Steve said. "The Wakandan king is dead."</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em> <strong>Stop by and see me on tumblr, I’m geekymoviemom and geeky-writes there!  😊 </strong> </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment!  💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You know it’s 2020 when there’s as many currently named tropical storms/ hurricanes as I have children 😑.  I’m praying that everyone in the path of those storms, as well as the continuing wildfires, stays safe! 💖</p><p>A huge thank-you to my awesome betas allthesinnersandthesaints and jehbeeeh, and to therollingstonys for the gorgeous moodboard!  💖</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>The irony that it was now him who couldn't seem to tear himself away from the repeating loop of news footage wasn't lost on Tony as he paced back and forth in his lab, impatiently waiting for Steve and the others to get home so Fury could debrief them. He'd already sent a disgruntled Peter to his room, not wanting him to be exposed to the live-feed coverage of rescuers pulling burned and bleeding bodies out of the wreckage of what used to be some kind of scientific research centre. The kid didn't need to be watching that kind of stuff, not when he'd already lived through something far too similar for Tony's taste. Twice.</p><p>Of course, that had been Peter's very argument for trying to remain in the lab, pleading with Tony that he could somehow help and finally forcing Tony to pull out the "because I said so" card that he always kept hidden deep inside his back pocket, in the hopes that he wouldn't have to use it.</p><p>It was such a cliché, and Tony usually hated clichés. Especially when it came to parenting.</p><p>"JARVIS, you blocked that news footage from all of Pete's stuff, right?" he asked, his fingers tightly curled around his left forearm. The arm had been aching quite a bit lately, no doubt due to stress combined with his recent severe lack of sleep. At Steve's insistence, Tony had just had a complete physical exam with Helen Cho about a month or so ago that included a full cardiac workup, and she had pronounced his heart about as healthy as it could be given everything Tony had put it through.</p><p>But still, the arm seemed to enjoy aching, and the annoying constant tingly sensation was absolutely not helping Tony's patience.</p><p>"I did indeed, sir," answered JARVIS. "Master Peter is currently engrossed in a video chat with Miss Stacy."</p><p>"Mmm, I'm not sure if that's any better," Tony grumbled. He actually liked Peter's girlfriend, especially since it was obvious that she adored him, but being the daughter of a deputy police chief, Gwen Stacy probably had access to plenty of information that wasn't readily available to just the average citizen, and the last thing that Tony needed was Peter finding stuff out secondhand.</p><p>"Uhh, what're they talking about?" he asked, suppressing the shudder that followed. Peter was sixteen already, and therefore deserved at least some measure of privacy, but—</p><p>"You know what, J, nevermind," Tony quickly added. "Just tell me how much longer Steve's gonna be."</p><p>"Mr Wilson's vehicle will arrive inside the Tower garage in approximately three minutes, sir," said JARVIS.</p><p>Tony gave a nod as he turned on his heel, resuming his pacing. "Yeah, yeah, that's good. Just… why don't you tell all three of 'em to come up here when they get home, yeah? That'll save Steve the trouble of having to just repeat it all later. Oh, and get Barton and Romanoff on the line too."</p><p>"Very good, sir," said JARVIS. "Captain Rogers has acknowledged the message."</p><p>"Thanks."</p><p>Fury hadn't been able to tell Tony exactly what kind of research was being conducted in the destroyed building, only that the Wakandan king had been touring the hospital next door when an explosive device detonated, killing at least thirty people and wounding almost a hundred more. As soon as news of the explosion broke, Fury reached out to the Wakandan delegation, offering the Avengers' personal assistance in discovering the identity of the perpetrators, an offer that the king's son, Prince T'Challa, said he would take under advisement.</p><p>"We're here, Tony," Natasha's low, raspy voice suddenly said from the secondary viewscreen as Barton strolled into view behind her, scratching at the back of his neck and yawning, looking like he'd just woken up from a nap.</p><p><em>Probably 'cause he just did,</em> Tony thought, his lips curling into the slightest of smiles. It was already almost eleven at night, not exactly the best time to be napping.</p><p>
  <em>And I thought my sleep was messed up.</em>
</p><p>"Hey, guys," Tony said quietly. "Steve and the rest should be here in a—"</p><p>"Captain Rogers has arrived in the penthouse, sir," JARVIS said, a second before Tony picked up Steve's steady footsteps heading towards the lab, followed by Sam and Bucky. Tony's heart gave a flutter as his tall, blond-haired, drop-dead gorgeous husband came into view, dressed in a pair of jeans that showed off his magnificent ass to perfection, and his New York Mets sweatshirt and baseball cap that almost exactly matched the blue in his eyes.</p><p>
  <em>Hot damn, that is one fine-looking man.</em>
</p><p>Tony's man.</p><p>"Tony," Steve said as he reached for Tony's hand, planting a quick kiss on his forehead. "Is Peter all right?"</p><p>"Yeah, babe, he's in his room, probably still whining to Gwen about how not awesome we are," Tony said, rolling his eyes. "I sent him out of here once the news broke."</p><p>Steve gave a nod, his jaw already clenched into his Captain America <em>give 'em hell</em> expression. "We can tell Peter about this once we know some more information."</p><p>"Yeah, that's what I told him," said Tony. "But you know Pete."</p><p>"Gentlemen, I have Director Fury on the line," said JARVIS.</p><p>"Put him through, please, JARVIS," said Steve.</p><p>All four men turned to face the main viewscreen as the grim visage of Nick Fury appeared, his single uncovered eye scanning across the room before landing on Tony.</p><p>"I'm afraid I don't have much more to tell you," he began. "I just put Hill and three other trusted agents on a plane about fifteen minutes ago, so hopefully once they get on the ground out there we can get some more concrete information."</p><p>"So you don't think there remains an immediate threat?" Steve asked, his fingers twitching in Tony's.</p><p>"Not at the moment, but new information is coming in every few minutes or so, so we're obviously still closely monitoring the situation," Fury answered. "What I can tell you people is that based on the currently available evidence, this does not appear to be the same type of attack that occurred over Wakanda earlier this week."</p><p>"It doesn't?" Tony asked with wide eyes. "So you're saying it's just some random coincidence?"</p><p>"Nah, it can't be just a coincidence," said Sam. "Based on what we know about the Wakandans, this smells more like an assassination attempt to me."</p><p>"Since whoever was behind this attack did in fact manage to kill the Wakandan king, I'd say that's a very reasonable theory, Mr Wilson," Fury said. "And as I told Tony, I've offered the assistance of the Avengers to Prince T'Challa, but I'm honestly not holding my breath on that one. If this humanitarian visit was Wakanda's way of trying to dip their toes into interacting with the rest of the world, I can't imagine that their prince is going to be too eager to make another attempt."</p><p>"Or, he might be even more eager for our help since the Avengers can be dispassionate," Natasha spoke up. "Is there any evidence that this might've been an inside job?"</p><p>"None that I've seen, although I haven't ruled out the possibility," said Fury. He held up his hand as someone off-screen handed him a tablet, his brow furrowing into a deep frown as he read. "Well, well, well. It seems like Prince T'Challa has actually accepted my offer to meet with the team. Captain Rogers, how soon can you leave?"</p><p>"What?" Tony yelped as a bolt of pain shot up his left arm. "Now wait just a goddamn minute here! Why all of a sudden is this considered more of an Avengers-level event than the actual attack from space?"</p><p>"Because as far as we know, the space phenomenon was a single occurrence, whereas in this case, our assistance is being requested by the head of state of another country," Fury said firmly. "Another country that might prove to be an invaluable ally if such another space phenomenon were to occur."</p><p>Tony huffed out a sharp breath, glowering at the viewscreen as Steve pursed his lips. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to have to leave Peter behind in New York before he'd had a chance to fully calculate the possibility of another impending attack from space. Rhodey was still up to his eyeballs in D.C. trying to help rebuild the Air Force's special ops after its decimation by HYDRA, and while Pepper and Happy were always an emergency option to watch Peter, as were the Leeds family—and even the Stacys, Tony supposed—neither Tony nor Steve felt really comfortable leaving Peter with anyone who wasn't an Avenger. The distraction of their constant worry for him was not conducive to a smooth Avengers mission.</p><p>"I'm not sure the presence of the entire team is necessary, Director, if this is more of a diplomatic meeting than a true mission," Steve said as he squeezed Tony's hand, once again reading Tony's mind. "Would you concur?"</p><p>Fury tilted his head, pondering. "I would," he said. "Who're you thinking?"</p><p>"I think myself, Sam, Bucky, and Nat should be enough," Steve replied, earning an affirmative nod from both Bucky and Sam. "If for some reason something else goes down, then Tony, Bruce, and Clint can always join us later."</p><p>"Agreed," said Fury. "And let's hope that nothing else goes down. We haven't even finished dealing with the whole HYDRA mess yet, and I always hate having to deal with two crises at once. It tends to make me extra cranky."</p><p><em>Oh, and we can't have that, </em>Tony thought with a frown.</p><p>"Give us three hours to get set, then we'll head out," said Steve.</p><p>"Got it," replied Fury. "Coordinate with Hill once you're on the ground, she'll put you in touch with Prince T'Challa."</p><p>"Copy that, Director," Steve said in his Captain's voice. "We'll talk again soon."</p><p>As soon as Fury's viewscreen went blank, Steve turned to Natasha and Clint, asking in feigned seriousness, "Can Clint handle the twins on his own?"</p><p>"Hey!" protested Clint. "Now wait just a goddamn—!"</p><p>"As long as they don't figure out where he's hidden his arrows," Natasha answered, barely hiding her smirk. "Or ask him for help with their math homework."</p><p>"Hey, I have never claimed to be Bruce Banner, okay?" Clint said. "So there is absolutely nothing wrong with me not understanding their goddamn theoretical trigo-calculus, or whatever the hell it is that they're doing."</p><p>"But, yeah, I think they should be fine," Natasha finished. "They're usually pretty easy on us."</p><p>"Mmm," grumbled Clint. "That's 'cause you just keep babying them, ya big pushover."</p><p>"Well, I'm sure Pete could always give them a hand with their schoolwork if it comes down to it," Tony said, only half-joking. "Wouldn't wanna make Barton have to use his brains too much if it's too painful."</p><p>"Oooh! That was harsh!" Sam exclaimed as Natasha let out a snort, jabbing Clint in the side.</p><p>"Ow!" Clint whined. "Why's everyone being so mean to me? I didn't do anything!"</p><p>"Oh, give me a break," said Natasha. "Weren't you just grumbling earlier today about how early the twins have to get up for school?"</p><p>"Well… it is too damn early," Clint said, rather sheepishly. "You even said so yourself."</p><p>"Yes, but when have you ever actually brought them to school?" Natasha asked. "By yourself?"</p><p>Clint frowned, glancing at the screen as if he just realised the rest of them were still there. "Um… well… that one morning I was going to, but—" He broke off, scowling fiercely at Steve. "You know, I was in the middle of a perfectly good nap—"</p><p>"You're always in the middle of a goddamn nap, Barton," Tony snapped. "And this isn't helping."</p><p>"Well, shit, Tony," Clint said, all joking aside. "Yeah, Cap, we'll—we'll be fine. Long as you're sure you won't need all of us. I mean, have they caught any of the guys that set off the explosion yet?"</p><p>"Not yet, according to Fury," said Tony. "And so far no one's taken credit for it either."</p><p>"Well, we'll just have to deal with that once we're there," Steve said. "And like Fury said, the Avengers will be there as diplomatic liaisons, so too much of a show of force might send the wrong message. But I won't hesitate to call for backup if I think it becomes necessary."</p><p>"Damn right, you won't," Tony said under his breath. Despite his hesitancy in leaving Peter behind, Tony did not like Steve going off without him either. He had already upgraded the locator chips that he sewed into each of Steve's uniforms to maintain a constant lock on him as soon as he exited any of the Avengers' facilities, using a brand-new rotating transmission frequency program that Peter had helped him write over the summer. HYDRA had managed to override the locator in Steve's phone only seconds after they arrested him back in May, and there was no way Tony was going to allow himself to lose sight of him ever again.</p><p>Tony had also placed the new locators in Peter's Spider-Man uniforms, even though they never left the Avengers' facilities. Tony's thought was that he could never be too careful when it came to protecting his boys.</p><p>"All right, Nat," said Steve. He glanced at the old-fashioned wall clock next to the door, placed there by Tony just for him. "It's almost 2315 now, so we'll be swinging by to pick you up around 0230."</p><p>"Copy that, Cap," said Natasha. "I'll be ready. And say hi to my милая ошибка for me, will you?"</p><p>Steve smiled, a smile that Tony quickly mirrored. One of the worst things about Peter only getting to see his Auntie Nat on the weekends was that it had greatly decreased their opportunities to continue with Peter's ballet lessons. Peter still practised a couple times per week, and both Tony and Steve loved it when they just happened to wander into the living room to find Peter gracefully leaping across the floor while <em>Swan Lake </em>played in the background, but it still wasn't the same.</p><p>"We will, Nat. Thanks."</p><p>"Well, the hits just keep on coming, hmm?" Sam said once Natasha's screen went blank. "I know you said this was supposed to be diplomatic, but are you still thinking standard mission op, Cap?"</p><p>"Yeah, it's better to be safe than sorry," Steve said after a short pause. "We'll just keep most of our big equipment on the jet."</p><p>"'Cause we all know how well diplomatic missions tend to turn out, right?" said Bucky.</p><p>"Not necessarily, Buck," Steve said. His eyes flicked over to Tony, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. "It's just better to be on the safe side here. I'm sorry about the short notice."</p><p>Sam let out a soft chuckle. "Hey, that kinda comes with the territory, doesn't it? At least we got to see the whole game."</p><p>"Oh, yeah," Bucky said with a frown. "Not that it was worth seeing or anything."</p><p>"Ahh, you're just sore 'cause your team sucks," Sam shot back. "If the Mets would've won you wouldn't be near as grumpy."</p><p>"All right, all right, you guys," Steve said as he shooed them towards the elevator. "Go on and get packed, we're wheels up at 0215."</p><p>"Copy that, Cap."</p><p>Tony watched them head towards the elevator, his mind already swirling with everything that he needed to get done before Steve left. He'd just finished a brand-new uniform for Steve a few nights ago when he couldn't sleep, a replacement for his traditional red, white, and blue Captain America uniform. This latest model featured upgraded Kevlar throughout the chest and abdomen—where Steve always managed to take hits, no matter who or where he was fighting—and some extra cushioning in his left boot to support the foot that HYDRA nearly destroyed beyond repair in their quest to study Steve's ability to self-heal. A shiver raced down Tony's spine as he recalled the stomach-flipping grotesqueness of Steve's poor foot, and how long it took for Steve to recover from it, with Tony worrying the entire time that HYDRA might've managed to push Steve's body beyond the regenerative limits of the serum.</p><p>Which they hadn't. Thanks to Helen Cho and her top-notch medical connections, after an extremely delicate and complicated surgery followed by a series of very bulky—and annoying—casts, Steve's foot was technically completely healed, with no traces of any lingering injury visible on X-ray or MRI.</p><p>But Tony knew that the foot still bothered Steve on occasion, even without him saying so—which he never, ever did. Tony suspected that part of it might be psychological, as even if he never liked to show it, the month that Steve spent as a prisoner of HYDRA still deeply haunted him. Especially the part about how he was drugged so badly that it forced him to believe he was fighting against Tony, and that Tony hated him.</p><p>Yet another demon in the ever-growing stack that he needed to slay.</p><p>The elevator doors had barely slid closed when Steve turned to Tony, curling his arm around his waist.</p><p>"Are you okay with all this?" he asked as he drew Tony flush against him, tucking his head under his chin. "I'm sorry that I didn't ask you first, but—"</p><p>"Steve, it wouldn't've mattered if you had," Tony said, muffled against Steve's broad chest. He wound his arms around Steve's waist, closing his eyes as he breathed in the scent of salted peanuts and beer lingering on Steve's sweatshirt from the baseball game. "You're the Captain, <em>Captain, </em>so what you say pretty much goes."</p><p>"Mmm," Steve muttered as he leaned back, sliding his hand under Tony's chin so he could meet his eyes. "You know that's not true when it comes to you and Peter, right? We always make those decisions together."</p><p>"Of course I do," Tony said firmly. "Which is exactly why you ever-so-bluntly informed Nick that there was no way in hell I was going to accompany you guys on this mission. Or Barton, for that matter. Us househusbands have to stay home and look after the kids."</p><p>Steve's shoulders sagged, his eyebrows knitting into a frown. "Tony—"</p><p>"No, no, honey, you know I'm joking," Tony cut in, brushing his fingers across Steve's full bottom lip. "Well, I guess I'm kinda only half-joking, but anyway, you know I don't wanna leave Pete here alone. Not now, not… <em>after.</em> But that doesn't mean I can't stand seeing you go off without me either."</p><p>"I know, mo grá, I know," Steve said, low and thick. He tucked Tony close again, his fingers gliding up his back to thread into his hair. "And I hate leaving you too, you know I do. But Fury's right. If that space phenomenon does turn out to be something important, then having the Wakandans as allies could be a pretty big help."</p><p>"Yeah, and I'm still not convinced that the two attacks aren't related." Tony slid his hands down the sides of Steve's back, slipping his fingers underneath his bulky sweatshirt and tight undershirt to ghost across the soft skin just above his waistband. "Coincidence my ass, there's no way you can tell me this second attack wasn't because of the first, even if it wasn't by the same people or group."</p><p>"I do agree with you there," Steve murmured. He dug the tips of his fingers into Tony's scalp so deliciously that Tony couldn't help but let out a soft moan, his eyes fluttering closed as Steve's lips brushed across his cheekbone over to his ear. "Can we go say goodnight to Peter now? I want some time alone with you before I have to leave."</p><p>A bolt of pleasure shot down Tony's spine at Steve's words, and the way his lips tickled the sensitive shell of his ear. He tilted his head up to meet Steve's mouth in a firm kiss, whimpering when Steve's tongue swiped across his bottom lip just before he pulled away.</p><p>"Not sure how you expect me to say no to that, you big tease," Tony whispered as Steve took his hand, intertwining their fingers.</p><p>"That was kind of the point, sweetheart," Steve said, with a downright mischievous wink. "JARVIS, is Peter still awake?"</p><p>"Yes, Captain," said JARVIS. "Master Peter is currently reading."</p><p>"Thanks, J," said Tony. "Oh, and if you don't mind, can you run another diagnostic on the locator chip in Steve's newest suit?"</p><p>"Very good, sir."</p><p>"Another new suit?" Steve said as they exited the lab. "Tony, none of my uniforms are even close to being worn out, and—"</p><p>"Yeah, well, right now you don't get a say in the matter," Tony said, probably a bit harsher than necessary when Steve frowned. He tugged on Steve's hand, halting him as they reached the living room. "Look. I just can't have you going somewhere without me being able to keep track of you." He paused, wincing. "Okay, that actually sounded kinda creepy, but you know what I mean. I can't—Steve, I just <em>can't—"</em></p><p>
  <em>I can't go through that again. It would kill me.</em>
</p><p>Steve dropped his chin to his chest, his thumb trailing across the back of Tony's hand as shame welled up inside Tony's gut. The last thing Tony wanted was for Steve to feel guilty about being arrested and tortured by the very same organisation he had sought to destroy for most of his adult life, but if there was anything that that godawful month had taught Tony, it was that Steve was a vital part of his very being, and that he would literally shrivel up to nothingness without him.</p><p>Over the last four years, Steve had managed to work his way into Tony's very soul, taking his place right next to Peter. And to lose either of them would completely destroy him.</p><p>"Sweetheart, I—" Steve started.</p><p>"No, honey, it's okay," Tony interrupted. "Just… I mean, you get it, right?"</p><p>"Yes, mo grá, I get it," Steve said softly as he cupped Tony's cheek in his hand. "But couldn't you have just upgraded the chips in my old uniforms instead of making me another one?"</p><p>Tony huffed, tearing his gaze away from his husband's piercing blue eyes, shining like the dotted lights in the distant skyscrapers. "Well… yeah, I s'pose I could have, but after I upgraded the locator chips, I just figured that I may as well upgrade your suit too, 'cause it gets to the point where it's just easier to make a whole new one. So I changed up the Kevlar a bit and made a few other changes that I think you'll enjoy."</p><p>Steve's luscious lips curled into a slight smile. "Yes, I'm sure I will. And I do understand about the suit. It's just that usually you have me try out a new suit in training a couple times before I take it on a mission."</p><p>"Yeah, well, this time I guess you can't," said Tony. "But I doubt that you'll notice any differences." And he wouldn't, Tony had made absolute sure of it. And on the very off chance that he did, it would be something like his foot not being as stiff and sore after walking on it all day long, which would only be a good thing.</p><p>"Besides," Tony added. "It's probably best to have a snazzy new suit for your first meeting with a prince, right?"</p><p>Steve smiled even wider, revealing his dimple. "Yes, I'm sure you're right. That probably means that I should polish my shield on the way there, hmm?"</p><p>"And Wilson's wings, and Barnes' arm," Tony said. He slid his hand into the crook of Steve's elbow as they continued towards the bedrooms. "I'm sure Nat's stuff is perfectly shiny already, knowing her."</p><p>"Knowing her, I'm sure it is," Steve said as they arrived at the door to Peter's room, slightly cracked open as per his usual. He rapped his knuckles three times on the doorway. "Hey, little guy, can we come in?"</p><p>"Uh huh," came the answer from somewhere in the depths of the room. Pushing the door open, Tony stepped inside, frowning when he noticed Peter's rumpled but empty bed. He glanced up, intending to look towards the overstuffed chair against the wall, and immediately jumped back with a gasp when his eyes landed on his boy sitting up in the far corner of his room by the ceiling, dressed in his favourite Hulk pyjamas and reading from his thick quantum physics textbook.</p><p>"Jesus Christ, Pete! What the hell are you doing up there?" Tony exclaimed, sucking in a deep breath as his heart slowly meandered its way out of his throat. It wasn't the first time that he and Steve had found Peter sitting up by the ceiling, and knowing Peter it wouldn't be the last either.</p><p>That did <em>not, </em>however, mean that Tony was at all used to it. Quite the contrary, in fact.</p><p>"Eh, it's just comfy," Peter said with a nonchalant shrug, as if it was a perfectly normal occurrence for a teenage boy to be doing his homework while sticking to the wall nearly five metres up from the floor. "It's not like I'm gonna fall."</p><p>"No, we know that, little guy," Steve said thickly. His heart was beating a bit faster than usual too, Tony could tell. "It's just… something that Dad and I aren't quite used to yet."</p><p>"You're implying that we will be at some point?" Tony asked, incredulous. "You know what, nevermind. Can you—can you just come down here, Pete? Papa's gonna be leaving soon, and you need to be getting to bed."</p><p>Peter sighed as he nodded, his expression glum as he launched the textbook onto his bed, crawling three paces down before executing a perfect backflip onto the floor.</p><p>Auntie Nat would've been very proud of her cute little bug, or whatever the hell her little Russian nickname meant. All Tony knew is that Peter practically melted into a puddle of goo every time she said it, complete with the dewy heart eyes that Tony wouldn't have believed were possible from the former Red Room assassin if he hadn't personally seen them multiple times. Natasha didn't allow too many people to see her softer side, but Peter had been granted the privilege from pretty much the first time Natasha laid eyes on him.</p><p>Which was all par for the course with Peter. Aside from a few psychopathic criminals and a couple of schoolyard bullies, Tony hadn't met a single person who didn't absolutely adore his sweet boy.</p><p>"Where're you going this time, Papa?" Peter asked as he stepped into Steve's open arms, squeezing him so tightly that Steve grunted. Peter had had yet another growth spurt over the summer, and still hadn't quite adjusted to his subsequent increase in strength.</p><p>Evidenced by the fact that he was already on his third backpack for the year, and it was still only October.</p><p>"I'm going to Africa, little guy," Steve answered as he kissed the top of Peter's head. "Namibia, to be exact. Director Fury wants us to open a dialogue with the Prince of Wakanda."</p><p>"You mean the new king," Peter said. He tipped his head back, looking up at his papa so adoringly that Tony's heart lurched. "'Cause wasn't their king just killed?"</p><p>"Jesus, Pete, how do you even know that?" demanded Tony. "I told you that you weren't allowed to watch that stuff."</p><p>"Gwen's dad was watching the news in the background while we were talking," Peter said, his bottom lip sticking out in its full pouty force. "It's not my fault that I could hear it."</p><p>"No, but you probably didn't tell her that you weren't supposed to be—you know what, nevermind." Tony let out a heavy sigh as he stepped into the family hug. "I'm too tired to argue with you about this, Pete, but you absolutely cannot say anything about Papa's mission until he says it's okay, you got that?"</p><p>"Yes, Dad, I'm not an idiot," muttered Peter. "I know my clearance level isn't as high as yours and Papa's."</p><p>"Nor will it be for awhile yet, little guy," Steve said sternly. His expression softened as he ruffled Peter's downy soft curls. "Did you remember to brush your teeth?"</p><p>Peter's eyes dropped, filled with worry. "Yeah, I did," he murmured as he buried his face in Steve's chest, his skinny arms tight around Steve's waist. "Just… please, Papa, be careful. Please? Promise you will?"</p><p>Tony bit his lip at the obvious concern in his son's voice, concern for his Papa, who he'd once feared he might never see again.</p><p>Even more proof—<em>as if we needed more?</em>—of how indelible Steve had become in their lives.</p><p><em>Never again, </em>he thought firmly. <em>It's never gonna happen again.</em></p><p>"Peter, I promise I'm gonna be careful," Steve said. "I'm gonna have Uncle Sam, Uncle Bucky, and Auntie Nat with me, so… you know they'll be able to keep me in line."</p><p>"Good," Peter stated. "'Cause they'll need to."</p><p>"This is more of a diplomatic meet-up than a real mission, Pete," Tony added. "Papa probably won't even have to get his new uniform dirty. And with the new locator chips, you and I will be able to listen in and keep tabs on him anytime we want."</p><p>Peter sniffed, his doe-like eyes shiny with tears as he nodded. "Uh huh. I'm gonna have the frequency pulled up on my phone until you get back. Just—just to be sure."</p><p>Steve shot Tony a concerned look over Peter's head, one that Tony volleyed right back at him. Both he and Steve had noticed a few clingy tendencies in their son over the summer, but with how aloof he could sometimes be and how grumpy he still was about not being allowed to do his patrols, Tony just assumed it was just yet another part of his wonky teenager mood swings.</p><p>"That's fine, little guy," Steve finally said. He pulled back, planting a kiss on Peter's forehead. "And we'll figure out a time to talk every night too, okay? Even if it's just for a few minutes."</p><p>"Yeah, I'd like that," said Peter. He swiped at his nose, attempting a smile. "When are you leaving?"</p><p>"In a couple hours, bud," Tony said. "Long after you're asleep."</p><p>"Which you should be now, little guy," Steve said gently. "It's pretty late."</p><p>Peter gave a somber nod as he gave Steve one final squeeze before crawling into his bed, burrowing down into his fluffy blankets. "I just couldn't sleep until I knew what was going on."</p><p>"Yeah, it's all right," Steve murmured as he sat down on the side of the bed. "I'd be the same way."</p><p>"Uncle Bruce and I will bring you to school in the morning, okay, bud?" Tony said. "You got your alarms set?"</p><p>"Yep, all three of 'em," Peter said. He closed his eyes as Steve brushed the hair from his forehead, leaning over to kiss him again.</p><p>"I love you, little guy," he said. "Oh, and Auntie Nat asked us to tell you hi from her."</p><p>Peter smiled. "Oh, that's awesome. Can you tell her that I miss her when you see her?"</p><p>"I can definitely do that," said Steve. "I'll see you in a few days, okay?"</p><p>"Uh huh, Papa. Thanks. Love you too."</p><p>Tony's throat was tight as Steve backed away, allowing Tony to take his place.</p><p>"Sleep well, bud," he said as he tucked the blankets under Peter's chin. He planted a kiss on Peter's forehead, thankful beyond belief that Peter still allowed him to do so. "Love you."</p><p>"Love you, Dad. 'Night."</p><p>Steve reached for Tony's hand as they backed out of Peter's room, the muscles in his jaw twitching as they made their way down the hall to their bedroom. Tony had barely had time to cross the threshold when Steve halted, turning to Tony and hoisting him into his arms as he backed him up against the wall.</p><p>"JARVIS, can you please soundproof the room?" Steve asked as he kicked the door closed, his blue eyes already darkening in the dim, bluish light. Steve cupped Tony's cheek in his right hand as Tony's legs wrapped around his waist, his body already buzzing with electricity. He absolutely <em>loved </em>it when Steve was frantic with him.</p><p>"The master bedroom is now soundproofed, Captain," JARVIS announced.</p><p>"Thank you," Steve said, barely getting the words out before he claimed Tony's lips in a bruising kiss, pulling back after only a second to whisper, "You're not too tired, are you?"</p><p>"Oh Christ, Steve," Tony rushed out. "No way in hell."</p><p>"Oh, thank <em>God!"</em> Steve rasped as he captured Tony's lips again, kissing and nibbling as his free hand slipped underneath the front of Tony's shirt, gliding up to brush his thumb across his nipple. A soft whimper escaped Tony's throat as Steve's tongue plundered his mouth, finally pulling away to kiss down his cheek and jaw to his neck.</p><p>"Steve—baby," Tony stammered, moaning as Steve sucked a mark into his pulse point, a spot that would definitely show in the morning.</p><p>Good thing Bruce was used to it by now.</p><p>"Bed!" Tony finally gasped, just before Steve attacked his mouth again, kissing him like he was afraid it would be the last time. Tony let out another whimper as he clung to Steve's broad shoulders, forcibly trying to empty his mind of his worries so he could focus only on how Steve was making him feel.</p><p>Which was really, <em>really </em>good.</p><p>"Steve—" he said again, finally having the presence of mind to tap him on the shoulder. "Honey, let's get on the bed. Like, right the hell <em>now!</em>"</p><p>"Yes, yes," Steve said as he broke away from Tony's mouth. A low growl rumbled up from his chest as he cupped his hands under Tony's ass, squeezing it as he carried him over to their bed, laying him down before crawling up to hover over him. Tony gulped as he looked deep into Steve's blown-black eyes, filled with such tenderness and adoration that his breath caught in his throat.</p><p>"I love you," Steve whispered, his fingertips trailing down Tony's temple and cheek to his lips. "God, I love you so much."</p><p>Tears pricked Tony's eyes, and for a heartbeat or three he had to fight the almost overwhelming instinct to look away. Steve had always worn his heart on his sleeve. From pretty much the first moment Tony laid eyes on him, he could tell what Steve was thinking and feeling, even as he tried to deny it. And sometimes… well… sometimes Steve was just so transparent that Tony was almost overwhelmed by it. The amount of love that Tony could see every single day in Steve's beautiful eyes and his gorgeous smile, and feel in every single one of his tender touches… he sometimes felt that if he wasn't careful, he just might end up drowning in it.</p><p>"I love you too, honey," Tony whispered. He slid his palms up Steve's arms and shoulders to cup his face. "Just… promise me that you're not gonna go diving out of any highrise windows this time, okay? 'Cause there's absolutely no need for that kind of drama."</p><p>Steve breathed in, his eyes glassy as he nodded. "I promise. As long as you promise me that you'll try to get some sleep while I'm gone."</p><p>Tony's eyebrows knitted into a frown. "Mmm, we'll see," he grumbled. He wound his arms around Steve's neck, tugging him closer. "Now, I believe that we were starting something here."</p><p>Instantly, Steve's face changed, becoming almost predatory as he settled himself over Tony, careful not to pin him too firmly.</p><p>"Yes, I believe we were," he practically growled as he dipped his head to find Tony's lips, slipping a hand underneath Tony's shirt to tug it off. Tony let out a gasp as Steve slid his palms up Tony's bare chest, his legs instinctively hiking up to hook over Steve's hips as his hands slid down Steve's back to grip his glorious ass.</p><p>"Get these jeans off. And the rest of your clothes too, while you're at it," Tony ordered as Steve tore away from his mouth to suck another mark into his neck. "A body this exquisite should never be covered. In fact, I might even make it a new house rule. No more clothes for you."</p><p>"Pretty sure Peter would protest that one, sweetheart," Steve said as he sat back, quickly ridding himself of his clothes. Tony's heart gave a flutter as Steve tossed his t-shirt onto the floor. No matter how many times he got to see his husband's glorious body, it still never failed to amaze him.</p><p>"God," he whispered as his fingers glided up the strong arms that held him close at night, across the broad, heaving chest that covered the biggest heart that Tony had ever seen, and down the textbook washboard abs that actually rippled beneath his fingertips to where his cock stood at attention, weeping slightly and simply begging for Tony's touch.</p><p>"Steve… I can't—I mean, I just—<em>shit</em>, baby, you're just—<em>God—</em>"</p><p>
  <em>What in the name of Earth, heaven, and the rest of the goddamn universe are you doing with someone like me?</em>
</p><p>"No, mo grá, please, don't," Steve whispered as he flattened his palm over the scars on Tony's chest, framed by the dog tags that Tony wore around his neck. "Please, don't think like that. Is breá liom tú, agus ba mhaith liom tú a shásamh. Inis dom cad ba mhaith leat."</p><p>"<em>Fuucckk," </em>Tony breathed. "You have no idea just how sexy that is, do you? I mean, there's just no way that you could possibly know, because—"</p><p>He was cut off by Steve's downright wicked grin as his long artist's fingers slid down his chest and abdomen and underneath the waistband of Tony's soft pants, closing around his straining erection.</p><p>"I think I might have some idea," Steve said as he gently squeezed, pulling such a loud moan from Tony that it would've embarrassed the hell out of him if he hadn't trusted Steve implicitly.</p><p>"God, please don't ever leave me," Tony said before he could stop himself. His eyes went wide as his lust-addled mind caught on to the fact that he'd just voiced out loud one of the fears that haunted him the most, during those deep, dark hours of the night when he couldn't sleep.</p><p>"I won't, Tony," Steve said firmly. "We're going to grow old together, remember? You and me, sitting in our rocking chairs up at the Compound, long after we've passed down our shields and suits of armour to the next generation of heroes."</p><p>"And you'll be working on your newest painting while I work on some newfangled thing for one of Pete's kids," Tony added. He sucked in a shaky breath as a single tear trailed from the corner of his eye. "Steve, I want that. I want that so much."</p><p>"Then it will be, sweetheart," Steve murmured. He curled his fingers around Tony's cock, stroking him slowly. "But now… I'd really like to get back to what we were doing."</p><p>"Mmm, you and your plans—oh <em>fuck</em>." Tony's teeth dug into his bottom lip as he glided his hands up the broad planes of Steve's back until they hooked around his shoulders, pulling him closer and pressing their foreheads together. "Feels so good, baby. You're too good to me."</p><p>"Oh, you think so?" Steve said, raising an eyebrow. "But you still haven't told me what you want."</p><p>Tony huffed, groaning at the pleasure already building deep inside his gut. He slid his hands down his husband's shoulders and upper chest to his gorgeous pectorals, grinning at Steve's hard shudder as he scraped his thumbnails across his nipples.</p><p>"That's my sensitive man," Tony whispered as he did it again, pulling a choked moan from Steve's throat. "You like that, don't you baby?"</p><p>"You know that I do," Steve said, low and husky. "Tell me what you want, mo grá. Please."</p><p>"Steve, I just want <em>you."</em></p><p>
  <em>Now. Always. Forever.</em>
</p><p>Steve shook his head, his lips trailing across Tony's temple and cheek. "You've got me, sweetheart." He pressed a hard kiss to Tony's lips before pulling back again. "Can I—can I have you tonight? I want—I want to feel you around me before I have to leave, and—"</p><p>Tony slid his fingers over Steve's lips to silence him, rolling his hips up to meet Steve's and delighting in his husband's sharp intake of breath.</p><p>"You don't need to explain yourself to me, honey, you know that." He brushed his lips across Steve's, slipping his tongue inside Steve's mouth as he rolled his hips up again, pleasure shooting through his body like a rocket as he guided Steve's hand to his ass. "Now, get me ready already."</p><p>Steve's eyes grew impossibly darker, and he ground his hips down against Tony's one final time before shifting them so he was sitting up on the bed, with Tony straddling his lap. Then he shuffled forward just enough so he could reach his bedside table, digging through the top drawer's contents until he found a bottle of lube. Tony's heart began to thud in anticipation as Steve popped open the cap, slicking up two of his fingers before pressing them gently inside him, swallowing Tony's groans of pleasure as he carefully worked him open. Normally Steve took his sweet time prepping Tony, often teasing him to the brink of madness before finally acquiescing to Tony's pleas that he was ready. But not on this night.</p><p>This night, they were on a schedule, and Steve was never, ever late.</p><p>"I'm ready," Tony pleaded as Steve pulled his fingers out, only to re-slick them and press them in again, curling them so he could brush across the magic spot that made Tony cry out. "Oh, <em>Christ, </em>Steve, I promise I'm ready!"</p><p>"All right," Steve said as he gently removed his fingers. As soon as they were free, Tony twisted around, settling himself with his back to Steve's chest. He knew that Steve usually preferred to face him while they made love, but Tony was already so dangerously close to breaking down that he was afraid he might lose it completely before Steve left, and he didn't want Steve worrying about him while he was flying into a potential war zone.</p><p>As it was, he still had to reign in his tears as Steve wrapped his arms around Tony and lined himself up, slowly pushing inside him.</p><p>"Breathe, sweetheart," Steve murmured in Tony's ear as he kissed up and down the cords in Tony's neck. He groaned once he was fully sheathed, his forehead thudding against Tony's shoulder as he breathed in a shaky breath. "Oh God, Tony, you feel so incredible. I'm not—I'm not—"</p><p>"Shh, honey, it's okay," Tony whispered. He wound his arm around Steve's neck, turning his head so he could kiss him. "It's okay, baby. I'm here."</p><p>"I know," Steve said, sounding so tortured that Tony nearly came right then and there. Steve's body was so sensitive, and he had such a short refractory period that whenever they made love, Tony would often start him off with a handjob or blowjob, to help him take the edge off a bit.</p><p>It also gave him an unabashed opportunity to watch Steve's face as he orgasmed without being distracted by his own pleasure. Steve was so gorgeous when he came, and the fact that Tony was the only person to ever see him in the throes of climax was so unbelievably hot that he could barely stand it.</p><p>"You'll always be here," Steve breathed against Tony's neck as his thrusts slowly gained speed. "Tell me you'll always be here."</p><p>"I'll always be here," Tony said on a moan as Steve tightened his hold, sending bolts of electric pleasure shooting throughout Tony's body. They were pressed so closely together that Tony honestly couldn't tell where he ended and Steve began, with Steve's chest like a hot brand against his back. "Shit, honey, I'm—I'm getting close!"</p><p>"Me too," Steve said. He slid his fingertips down Tony's arm, interlocking their fingers before guiding them to Tony's cock, stroking him in time with his thrusts. "Please, sweetheart. Ba mhaith liom go dtiocfadh muid le chéile!"</p><p>Too overwhelmed to speak, Tony simply nodded, tilting his head back to capture Steve's lips in a sloppy kiss as he clenched down around him, the coil in his gut winding tighter and tighter and tighter as Steve suddenly went rigid behind him, crying out his climax into Tony's shoulder.</p><p>"That's right, hot stuff," Tony said, over and over as Steve shuddered and trembled, their interlaced fingers still curled around Tony's cock. "Fuck, you're just so gorgeous when you let go!"</p><p>With a final shudder, Steve pressed a wet kiss to the cap of Tony's shoulder as he carefully pulled out of him, twisting him around to lay down on the bed. "Now it's your turn," he said as he immediately took Tony's cock into his mouth. Tony gasped, his back arching off the bed at the sudden sensation of Steve's warm, wet mouth.</p><p>"Shit, baby," he choked out as Steve practically swallowed him down. "You're so good, Steve, so goddamn good." His fingers wound into Steve's hair as Steve's hand slid underneath Tony's ass, squeezing it as he hummed his approval, the vibrations rippling up Tony's body like waves as he was finally pulled over the edge.</p><p>"Oh God, Steve, I'm gonna—<em>fuck!"</em> Tony cried as he came, gripping Steve's hair for dear life as he flooded Steve's mouth. Garbled nonsense words fell from his lips as Steve's calloused fingertips trailed up and down his side, his entire body buzzing with residual current.</p><p>"Holy shit," he managed as Steve finally released his spent cock, kissing his way back up Tony's body. Steve grinned as he pecked Tony first on the forehead, then on the tip of his nose, and finally his mouth, rolling them over and tucking Tony close, his head pillowed on Steve's chest.</p><p>"Mmm. Don't want you to go," Tony murmured a few minutes later, once he felt capable of speech. His eyelids were so heavy he could barely keep them open, and his limbs still felt leaden, like they'd been filled with wet sand.</p><p>"I know," Steve said sadly. "It should only be for a few days."</p><p>"No, don't be making any promises that you can't keep," Tony warned, stifling a yawn. "But I still hope that you're right."</p><p>"Me too." Steve sighed as he glanced over at the clock, patting Tony's flank. "Don't get up, okay? Just let me take care of you."</p><p>Tony let out a chuckle as Steve gently rolled him onto his back, pressing a light kiss to his forehead before easing off the bed. He watched through half-lidded eyes as Steve sauntered into the bathroom, returning a few minutes later with freshly washed and towel-dried hair and a warm washcloth that he used to clean Tony's body, pressing another kiss to his lips once he was done.</p><p>"Please, don't get up, sweetheart," he said again as he handed Tony a pair of his sleep pants, tucking him under the covers once Tony had pulled them on. "I want to remember you lying in our bed just like this while I'm gone, with that look of contentment on your beautiful face."</p><p>More tears stung Tony's eyes, ones that he quickly blinked away as he attempted a smile. His contented feeling would evaporate as soon as Steve walked out their bedroom door, but he could at least pretend for the moment, for Steve's sake.</p><p>"Your new suit's in the closet, honey," Tony murmured as Steve pulled on a clean pair of underwear. "And I can't wait to see it on you."</p><p>"All right, just give me a minute," Steve said as he disappeared into their closet, returning a few heartbeats later with his new Captain America uniform, complete with a brand-new cowl. "It even smells new."</p><p>"Well, you know me," Tony said. He propped himself up onto his elbows to watch as Steve got dressed, pulling up zippers and fastening buckles as efficiently as only a military man could. Once he had finished pulling on his new boots and fingerless gloves, he picked up the cowl, holding it in his hand as he turned to Tony, a sheepish smile on his lips.</p><p>"Well, how does it look?" he asked, so sincerely that Tony had to bite back a laugh. He simply could not understand how Steve could not see how hot he was, and especially in a brand-new suit.</p><p>
  <em>God bless Captain America.</em>
</p><p>"Are you seriously asking me that?" Tony replied. "God, Steve, you're just… you're just—" He paused, clearing his throat. "You're just fucking gorgeous, honey. That's all."</p><p>"Well, I think you just might be a bit biased," Steve said as he sat down on the bed, pulling Tony into his arms and burying his nose into his hair. "I love you, sweetheart."</p><p>"Mmm, I love you too." Tony tipped his head up, kissing the sensitive spot on the underside of Steve's jaw, grinning as he shivered. "Please, be careful, yeah? All you guys? There's no telling what you're flying into, so—"</p><p>"We will, I promise." Steve brushed his lips across Tony's in a soft, sweet kiss, trailing his thumb across his cheekbone. "Will you get some rest now? Please?"</p><p>"I will try," Tony said honestly as he laid back down, allowing Steve to pull the blankets up to his neck.</p><p>"Thanks. I'll see you soon." And then he stood up from the bed, took hold of his shield from its spot by their door, and stepped out of the room, finally allowing Tony to release the floodgate of tears that he'd been desperately holding back.</p><p><em>Please bring him back to us! </em>he cried out into the universe as he flopped over onto Steve's pillow, hugging it to his chest.</p><p>
  <em>Please, don't take him from us again!</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>Steve's heart was heavy as he made his way down the hallway, taking a quick moment to peek in on Peter before continuing on to the living room, where he settled in on the comfy loveseat to wait for Sam and Bucky. The nearby clock read 0200, so he tipped his head back and closed his eyes, breathing in a slow, deep breath as he tried to come up with his usual series of mission plans. With a nearly twenty-four hour flight time ahead of him, Steve knew he'd have plenty of time to finalise them, especially if any new information became available while they were en route, but he always liked to have at least a skeleton plan in place before embarking on any mission. Even a so-called diplomatic one.</p><p>"Pardon me, Captain," JARVIS said softly a few minutes later. "But Sergeant Barnes and Mr Wilson are requesting access to the penthouse."</p><p>"Yeah, JARVIS, that's fine," Steve said. He groaned slightly as he sat back up, rubbing at his eyes as he heard the penthouse elevator activate and make its way down. Both Bucky and Sam lived only five floors down from the penthouse, their apartments directly across the hall from each other. Bruce's apartment was directly below Sam's, and featured a built-in Hulk-sized panic room in the very back that he and Tony had designed, very similar to the room where Bucky was kept during his first few months at the Tower following Project Insight, while Clint's and Natasha's apartments were located two floors down from Bucky's.</p><p>And Steve absolutely loved that their entire team was so close by. Even though Clint and Nat were stationed up at the Compound for the school year, they were still only about a fifteen minute flight away, which made it all that much easier to coordinate training sessions and missions.</p><p>And every single one of them always had an open door for Peter as well, pretty much whenever he needed one. It was a massive weight off of his and Tony's shoulders to know that if one or both of them got held up somehow, that any number of their teammates could jump right in to pick him up from school or something.</p><p>"Hey, Cap," Sam said as the elevator doors slid open. "Fancy meeting you here."</p><p>"Yeah," Steve said as he pushed himself up to his feet, wiggling his toes inside his new boots. He could tell just in the few steps that he'd walked in them so far that Tony had done something new with them. They felt extra spongy along the footbed, almost bouncy, like his feet were being cradled in memory foam.</p><p>He'd have to remember to thank him later on.</p><p>"You two ready to go?" he asked as he looked between Sam and Bucky, both dressed in uniforms that Tony built for them. Tony had even managed to sandblast the red Soviet Union star off the upper part of Bucky's prosthetic arm, which now sported the same big <strong>A </strong>that Steve and Sam had on the arms of their suits. After his critical help during the battles in both the Miami and HYDRA bunkers, Bucky had more than proven himself a worthy addition to their team.</p><p>Plus, Steve loved how much Bucky adored Peter, especially given how instrumental Peter was in Bucky's recovery.</p><p>"Yep," replied Sam. "I'm ready."</p><p>"All right. And what about you, Buck?" Steve asked as he clapped a hand on Bucky's right shoulder. "You still okay with all this?"</p><p>"Am I ready to meet an actual prince? Hell no," Bucky answered, smirking slightly. "But someone's gotta make sure that you don't trip over your tongue, so here I am."</p><p>"No, no, that's why <em>I'm </em>here, Bucky," protested Sam. "C'mon, man, get it right, will ya? For once?"</p><p>"Yeah, well, give the guy a break, okay, Sam?" Steve said, grinning. "He is almost a hundred years old, you know."</p><p>"Oh, like you're not?" Bucky said with a playful pout. "And ninety-six is still not close enough to a hundred to say 'almost a hundred', so there."</p><p>"Oh, yeah?" Sam laughed. "So then, what is close enough?"</p><p>"Mmm," grumbled Bucky. "Ninety-nine and three quarters."</p><p>"I think you've been hanging around Peter a bit too much there, Buck," Steve said, chuckling as he started heading towards Tony's lab, and the landing pad next to it that housed their Quinjet. The three of them had just stepped through the outside doors and onto the pad when the sky suddenly lit up with one of the brightest bolts of lightning that Steve had ever seen, causing him to cry out as he brought his shield up to cover his eyes. Behind him, he heard Bucky swear, cursing one of the local weathermen or something when all the hair on the back of Steve's neck suddenly stood up.</p><p>"Watch out!" he cried, pushing Sam and Bucky back just as an ear-splitting crack of thunder exploded across the neighbourhood and Thor literally dropped from the sky, landing on the pad in a sizzling sparkle of lightning.</p><p>"What in the goddamn <em>hell—?"</em> Bucky started.</p><p>"Greetings, my dear friends," Thor cut in as he clapped Steve on the arm so hard that it nearly knocked him sideways. "I must apologise for my abrupt entrance, I'm afraid my landings tend to be a bit touchy without my hammer."</p><p>"Yeah, well, I'm afraid you might've just woken Peter up with that landing," Steve said, trying to reign in his impatience. With their soundproofed bedroom there was a chance that Tony hadn't heard anything, but Steve knew Peter was a lost cause. His enhanced hearing combined with the fact that he never completely closed his bedroom door would no doubt have him running onto the landing pad in five… four… three… two…</p><p>"Uncle Thor!" Steve suddenly heard from behind him, just before Peter launched himself into Thor's arms, all skinny arms and legs as Thor lifted him up from the ground, laughing.</p><p>"Ah, it is so good to see you again, Young Starkson!" Thor exclaimed as he set Peter down, ruffling his hair. "Alas, I wish my visit was of a social variety."</p><p>"Why?" Peter asked. "Did something happen to New Asgard?"</p><p>"No, no, New Asgard is fine," said Thor. "Well, at least mostly fine. I swear, trying to keep Loki and Valkyrie from tearing each other apart has become something of a full-time job lately, but… I digress."</p><p>"Um, if you don't mind, we're kinda in a hurry here," said Sam.</p><p>"Yes, yes, that is indeed why I'm here," Thor said. He turned to Steve, his expression rather grim. "Captain, it is my understanding that you are departing for Africa at this very moment?"</p><p>"Well, that was the plan," said Steve. "Why, do you have some information that might help us?"</p><p>Thor gave a nod. "I do indeed. It is my belief that this secret place, Wakanda, might be the home to one of the six infinity stones."</p><p>"Infinity stones?" asked Bucky. "What're those?"</p><p>"Ah… I believe you humans would call them, gems?" said Thor. "Special stones that carry influence over those who would wield them?"</p><p>"Gems," Steve said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Like the stone in Loki's sceptre?"</p><p>"Precisely," answered Thor. "In fact, I've reason to believe that that gem is also one of the six infinity stones."</p><p>Sam's eyebrows shot up. "Well, then it's a good thing we've got it locked up pretty good."</p><p>"Yes, but unfortunately I doubt that your security will be good enough," said Thor. "Which is why it is imperative that I accompany you on this mission. I absolutely must discover if my vision was correct."</p><p>"Vision?" asked Steve. "What kind of a vision?"</p><p>"One that can only be seen in The Water of Sight, one of which I was lucky enough to find in our new home, hidden inside a series of caves cut into a mountain," Thor said.</p><p>"Oh, how cool!" Peter exclaimed. "I've read about those magic pools in some of my books!"</p><p>"Yes, Young Starkson, I'm sure you did, given the quality of your education here," said Thor. "And when I slipped into the water and allowed the spirits to overtake me, I saw in my vision six brightly-coloured gems, the combined power of which is nearly indescribable."</p><p>"And you think one of these gems is located in Wakanda?" Steve asked as he drew Peter against his side. The fact that he was even hearing this conversation in the first place did not sit well with him at all, but it was too late to do something about it now.</p><p>"It is my theory that three of the six infinity stones are currently housed here, on Midgard," said Thor. "One inside Loki's sceptre, one inside the tesseract, which is currently in the possession of New Asgard, and the third in Wakanda."</p><p>"Okay, and that's a bad thing, why?" asked Sam.</p><p>"Probably 'cause of that whole indescribable power thing that he just mentioned, Сэм," Bucky said.</p><p>Sam shot Bucky a harsh look. "Yeah, okay, but if that's the case, wouldn't it be better that we have these things than someone else?"</p><p>"No, I am afraid not, son of Wil," said Thor. "Because as mere humans, you lack the capacity to wield them. No, I believe that only a being of immense power would be able to handle these stones."</p><p>"Yeah, I saw that firsthand with the tesseract," Steve said, remembering how the cube literally burned the Red Skull into ashes right before his eyes. "Okay, so, what are you suggesting we do about this?"</p><p>Thor let out a sigh, one heavy enough to make Steve shiver. "At the moment, Captain, I have no suggestions. Only that it is of utmost importance that we find out if Wakanda is home to another stone."</p><p>"And what if it is?" Sam asked. "Could that help explain the weird space thing that happened a few days ago?"</p><p>"It very well could," replied Thor. "And if that is the case, then it will also be imperative that we somehow remove at least one of the stones from Midgard. It is far too dangerous to have so many in such close proximity."</p><p>Steve frowned, fighting against the strong urge to cover Peter's ears as he tucked him even closer. "Why, Thor? "he asked. "What's going to happen?"</p><p>"I'm afraid I have no good answer to that question, Captain," said Thor, so gravely that Steve's blood ran cold. "I have only what I fear."</p><p>"Okay, then what's that?" asked Bucky.</p><p>Thor shook his head, shooting Steve an apologetic look.</p><p>"Catastrophe, gentlemen, on a level simply impossible to quantify," he said. "This is why we must find out all that we can, and we must do so as soon as possible."</p><p>Silence stretched across the landing pad, with Steve's thudding heart the only detectable sound as Peter looked up at him, his brown eyes wide with the fear he was trying very hard to hide.</p><p>"Papa?" he asked. "What're we gonna do?"</p><p>"We're gonna figure it out, little guy," Steve said, a lot more calmly than he felt. "Somehow, we'll figure it out, because that's what we do."</p><p>
  <em>We're the Avengers. We fight the battles that others can't.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And we'll do it together.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Stop by and see me on tumblr, I’m <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geekymoviemom">geekymoviemom</a> and <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geeky-writes">geeky-writes</a> there!  😊</strong>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment!  💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Once again, a huge thank-you to my wonderful betas, allthesinnersandthesaints and jehbeeeh, and to all the amazing people in the POTS discord server.  You guys are awesome!  💖</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hey, Cap, why don't you let me take the stick for awhile, hmm?" Sam said as he dropped into the copilot's seat next to Steve. "You've been at it for almost twelve hours already, I'm sure you could use a break."</p>
<p>"I'm fine, Sam," Steve answered. "You know I don't mind—"</p>
<p>"Yeah, I do, but I still think you should take a break," Sam insisted. "There's no reason for you to exhaust yourself before our first meeting with a prince. Especially a prince who's grieving."</p>
<p>Steve bit down on his bottom lip, pondering Sam's words. He <em>was</em> tired, such that even the plans he was still trying to finalise were all starting to blur together in his mind, and he supposed he was due to eat something as well. Tony was always getting on him about him pushing himself too hard, he didn't need to go and prove him right.</p>
<p>"All right, Sam," Steve said as he pressed the autopilot button, grinning at the <strong>JARVIS is my copilot </strong>sticker that Tony placed next to it after the jet's last turbine upgrade. "JARVIS, what's our current arrival time estimate?"</p>
<p>"I expect to land in Namibia in approximately eight hours, Captain, provided that current weather conditions remain as anticipated," answered JARVIS.</p>
<p>"That's plenty of time for a decent nap, Steve," said Sam. He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "You might wanna steer clear of Thor, though. I've never heard anyone snore so loud in my life. I had to stick my earplugs in to drown him out!"</p>
<p>Steve let out a chuckle as he dragged himself out of the pilot's chair, stifling the groan that attempted to escape. He'd been doing nothing but sitting for the last twelve hours, but his body still felt like he'd just ran three marathons back to back. Sam had told him multiple times that mental fatigue was just as exhausting as physical fatigue, and Steve could definitely feel it now.</p>
<p>"<em>And that's what you get when you push yourself too hard, </em>Captain," Tony would say, as he tried to hide that little half-annoyed smirk that Steve still found irresistible over four years later. Even when it was directed at him.</p>
<p>Actually, even more so when it was directed at him.</p>
<p>Stepping over Thor's sprawled-out legs, Steve made his way towards the rear of the Quinjet, shaking out his arms and rolling his head to try and stretch out the tight muscles in his neck and shoulders. Natasha looked up as he passed, giving him a quick nod from where she and Bucky were huddled together on the bigger couch, watching a movie on her tablet. It was one of Peter's Star Wars movies from the looks of it, which Peter had introduced to Bucky while Steve and Tony were on their honeymoon. That was back when Bucky could still barely look Steve in the eye—or really anyone besides Peter and Sam—and Steve smiled as he realised that Bucky was probably missing Peter now almost as much as he was.</p>
<p>Which was <em>a lot.</em> It'd been bad enough having to say goodbye to his sweet son the first time, but after Thor's dramatic arrival at the Tower and the grim proclamation that followed, saying goodbye the second time had been even more difficult. The intense fear that Steve had seen in Peter's eyes had been even worse after Thor dropped his bombshells, and it had taken nearly all of Steve's strength to put on as brave a face as he could as he tucked Peter back into bed before the team departed.</p>
<p>And then Tony, who Steve had been forced to wake in order to quickly go over all of Thor's new information. Like Peter, he had tried hard to hide how frightened he was, and it had nearly cracked Steve's heart right down the middle to have had to leave him right after delivering that kind of news, knowing full well that Tony would make a beeline right to his lab as soon as the Quinjet took off.</p>
<p>As much as it hurt to leave him behind, Steve knew it was still the right thing to do, and he knew Tony thought so as well. Peter had already been targeted by their enemies way too many times for Steve and Tony to feel comfortable leaving him unless it was absolutely necessary, and until Steve believed otherwise, it was not absolutely necessary.</p>
<p>It didn't mean that there wasn't a giant hole in his chest at the moment, though.</p>
<p>With a heavy sigh, Steve settled himself down onto the remaining couch and tipped his head back, briefly closing his eyes. He knew he should take Sam's advice and try to get some sleep, but he also knew that the attempt would be futile. With the way his mind was already racing in a million different directions, there'd be no way he'd be able to dial it back enough to relax.</p>
<p>And besides that, he was hungry.</p>
<p>Reaching for the bag of homemade trail mix that he and Peter had made the day before and a bottle of Powerade, Steve shoved a handful into his mouth as he unzipped the special pocket that Tony sewed into his uniform, looking for the small sketchbook and pencil that he always carried with him. He opened it to the front page, to the sketch of Tony and Peter that he'd drawn from the very first photograph he'd ever taken of the two of them, only hours after Peter had taught him how to take pictures with his new phone. Steve's throat tightened as he examined it, which he attempted to remedy with a big sip of his Powerade. Even now, after taking literally thousands of photographs, and sketching and painting dozens of drawings, this little drawing was still one of Steve's very favourite sketches of his beloved husband and son.</p>
<p>It had been about a week or so after they had all returned to the Malibu house from Afghanistan. Peter had been helping Steve get accustomed to life in the twenty-first century, while Tony had been spending nearly all of his time down in his garage workshop, building the first of his eventual army of armoured suits and plotting his revenge on the Ten Rings. Steve and Peter had made dinner that evening, and, after practically dragging Tony upstairs to eat with them, Peter had then proceeded to beg him to watch a movie afterwards, telling him that he hadn't seen him more than a few minutes since they'd been back.</p>
<p>And the two of them hadn't even lasted for half the movie before they were both sound asleep, with Peter wrapped up in Tony's arms and his head resting on his chest, off to the side so as to avoid pressing on the arc reactor.</p>
<p>Tears pricked Steve's eyes at the memory, of how sweet they had looked, and how envious he had been. He had already been trying to deny it by then, trying to bury deep down just how deeply attached he was to them both, and, based on what Tony told him later on, doing a very poor job of it.</p>
<p>"<em>You're such a terrible liar, babe," </em>Tony had told him multiple times over the course of their relationship. "<em>You and Pete both. You're both just too… good."</em></p>
<p>And while Steve still wasn't sure if he agreed, he also knew better than to argue.</p>
<p>A soft smile spread across Steve's lips as he stared at the drawing, trailing his fingertip across Peter's round cheek smashed up against Tony's side. Peter's cheeks weren't quite as round anymore, and his jawline had sharpened up a bit more over the summer as well, only adding to how much he resembled Tony.</p>
<p>His two precious boys, who he loved more than life itself.</p>
<p>Sniffing, Steve closed the sketchbook, swiping at his eyes as he took out his phone. Based on the time, Tony would be leaving to pick Peter up from school in a few minutes, no doubt with Bruce in tow. They'd probably stop somewhere on their way home to get Peter something to eat, and then spend most of the afternoon and evening in Tony's lab, working on their various projects. Tony had told Steve that he was very close to getting his nanotechnology finalised for his next armoured suit, which meant that he'd be bringing up the possibility of building Steve a nanite suit as well, something that Steve had already tried to refuse more than once. He and Tony were very different in their preferred fighting styles, and Steve had absolutely no desire to wear armour.</p>
<p>As it was, there was probably enough Kevlar in the uniform he was currently wearing to almost classify it as armour, but Steve wasn't about to say anything. Aside from the images of the devastating space battle that Tony often saw in his nightmares, Steve knew that the memories of his condition once the team found him in the hidden HYDRA bunker were a very close second. Right up there with Peter as he lay comatose in his hospital bed after the battle down in Miami.</p>
<p>If Tony had his way, he would probably wrap both him and Peter in suits of armour anytime they left the house. Or were out of his sight.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, despite his swirling mind, Steve was able to doze off for a couple hours, only waking after the Quinjet began its descent into Namibia. Blinking his eyes open, Steve raised his head, pressing against a sore spot on his neck as Sam's voice came over the intercom.</p>
<p>"We've got about two minutes till we touch down, so you guys might wanna pop a breath mint or something."</p>
<p>"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Thor asked, groaning as he stretched out his legs.</p>
<p>"I think he's implying that after flying for over twenty hours in relatively close quarters, that the air you'll be expelling from your mouth might not be very pleasing to whoever this prince is that we're about to meet," answered Natasha. "Which, in your case, would be the truth."</p>
<p>"No kidding," added Bucky. "Dude, I haven't heard anyone snore that loud since the war."</p>
<p>Thor looked taken aback as the Quinjet touched down. "I do not snore. In fact—"</p>
<p>"Oh yeah, you do," Bucky cut in. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a tin of the Altoids that he always carried—whenever he wasn't around Peter, at least—and tossed one onto Thor's lap. Bucky had loved peppermints for as long as Steve had known him, often buying bags of the brightly-wrapped candies at the corner store whenever he was able to save up the ten pennies he needed in order to pay for them. With Peter's sensitivity to peppermint thanks to his spider DNA, Bucky mainly stuck to cinnamon candies now, but Steve still remembered the day that he first asked for a peppermint as one of the biggest turning points in his recovery.</p>
<p>"Ah," Thor said as he sucked loudly on the tiny circular mint. "I do believe that I enjoy this particular Midgardian treat. I'll have to secure some more before my return to New Asgard."</p>
<p>"Long as you don't eat 'em around Петр", Bucky said sternly. "It'll make him sick if you do."</p>
<p>"Oh, no, I would never do something to put Young Starkson in danger, Sir Buchanan," Thor said. "You have my word."</p>
<p>"Sir Buchanan?" Bucky said as Natasha let out a snort of laughter. "Where the hell did that come from?"</p>
<p>Thor looked confused. "Is your given name not James Buchanan Barnes?"</p>
<p>"Well, yeah, it is, but… no one's ever called me by the whole thing except my grandma, and she died when I was ten." He sucked in a deep breath as he looked over at Steve. "Your ma took care of her when she got sick, remember?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, Buck, I remember," Steve said softly. Like many elderly people in Brooklyn during the late nineteen twenties, Bucky's grandmother had come down with tuberculosis, and not even the expert nursing care of Steve's ma was able to save her.</p>
<p>Just like she wasn't able to save herself from the same fate several years later.</p>
<p>"Well, then, <em>Sir Buchanan</em>, I'll take one of those too, if you don't mind," Natasha said with a wink.</p>
<p>"No problem," answered Bucky. He dropped one into her palm, popping one into his own mouth. "Стиви? You want one?"</p>
<p>"Sure, thanks." The mint felt cool on Steve's tongue as he pushed himself up to his feet, giving him a slight burst of energy as he gathered up his cowl and shield. The five of them exited the jet to find Agent Maria Hill waiting for them, along with two men that Steve recognised from the SHIELD base up at the Compound.</p>
<p>"Captain. You guys made pretty good time getting here," Hill said. Her eyebrows knitted together as she noticed Thor standing next to Bucky. "I don't remember you being on the guest list."</p>
<p>"Thor showed up at the last minute with some information that we'll need to share with the Wakandan prince," answered Steve. "Do you have any new intel for us?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, a bit." Hill jerked her head in the direction of an armoured truck parked off to the side, leading them inside and tapping a large viewscreen, on which a glowing yellow map appeared. "From what we've been able to discern based on forensic evidence, this attack was not designed to take out the Wakandan king. In fact, we're now doubtful that the perpetrators even knew he was here."</p>
<p>"That's a bit hard to believe," Natasha said with a frown.</p>
<p>"That's what I first thought as well," said Hill. "But we've gone over the evidence three times already, and it still points in the same direction. The fact that the king was touring the hospital was not public knowledge, so it's entirely possible that the people behind this truly didn't know he was here."</p>
<p>"Okay, but then what was the purpose of the attack?" asked Sam. "And why hasn't anyone claimed it yet?"</p>
<p>"They're probably too afraid of retaliation," Steve said. "Whether they intended to or not, they did end up killing King T'Chaka, and if even a fraction of the rumours about Wakanda are true, then I'm guessing whoever it is is going to be in hiding for quite a while."</p>
<p>"That was our theory as well, Steve," said Hill. She drew a large circle around the half-destroyed building next to the hospital, one labelled Institute for Infectious Diseases. "We believe that this institute was in the process of running tests on a new type of biological, something that could potentially be very attractive to terrorists."</p>
<p>"Oh, and that always tends to go well," Sam said, rolling his eyes. "Do we know what kind of biological it was?"</p>
<p>Hill shook her head. "Unfortunately, all of the researchers involved with the project were killed in the explosion, and most of their computer systems are trashed. I've already asked about the availability of any potential off-site backups, but so far we haven't gotten anywhere."</p>
<p>"Yeah, I'm not surprised," Steve said. He tapped his fingers idly against his shield as he thought. Tony was right in that it seemed far too convenient for this all to be just a coincidence, but even that didn't mean it absolutely couldn't be. And if Thor's vision was correct—which he kept insisting that it couldn't be wrong—then his team needed to keep their focus on that.</p>
<p>"As much as I hate to say it, we really need to meet with the prince as soon as possible. I can get Tony and Bruce to take a look at whatever you guys manage to find on the biological, but this information that Thor has needs to take precedence at the moment."</p>
<p>Hill frowned, her hand on her hip. "And what information is that, exactly?"</p>
<p>"He has a theory regarding the purpose behind the initial attack on Wakanda," answered Steve. "And if he's right, then we'll need to make that our main focus for the time being."</p>
<p>"Well… all right," Hill said after a short pause. "Prince T'Challa is waiting for you guys over in the mobile offices that we've got set up, but I'd advise you to keep your meeting brief, and to the point. He's got quite a bit on his mind at the moment."</p>
<p>"I understand," Steve said. He put on his cowl, nodding towards Thor. "After I introduce us, I'll let you explain to the prince what you saw in your vision."</p>
<p>Thor gave a somber nod. "Very well, Captain."</p>
<p>SHIELD's mobile offices were only about a hundred or so metres away, set up inside a series of high-security trailers, the outside of which was being guarded by two tall, bald women wearing dark red armour and carrying long, pointed spears. Steve was still about five metres away when the two women snapped to attention, crossing their spears in front of the main trailer's entrance.</p>
<p>"State your business here, sir," the woman on the right side said, rather firmly.</p>
<p>Steve sucked in a deep breath, gripping his shield. "Good afternoon," he began. "My name is—"</p>
<p>"Captain Rogers," another voice suddenly said from behind the crossed spears. The tall, regally-dressed man held up his hand, nodding to each of the women as they uncrossed their weapons. "It is all right, General Okoye," he said to the woman on the right. "I am expecting these guests."</p>
<p>The general eyed Steve up and down, finally nodding once as she resumed her guard position. "Very well."</p>
<p>"Thank you, Your Highness," Steve said. He offered the prince his hand, which T'Challa shook with a firm grip. "On behalf of all the Avengers, please allow me to offer my sincere condolences on the loss of your father."</p>
<p>"I appreciate that very much, Captain," said T'Challa. He glanced around their group, acknowledging each of them with a nod. "However, I do believe that my father's unfortunate death is not the main reason for your visit here today."</p>
<p>Steve blinked, well aware that he should've asked Hill how much she and T'Challa had already discussed the attack from space. They didn't really have the time to spare to be going in circles.</p>
<p>"Let me be clear, Captain," T'Challa continued, as if he'd read Steve's mind. "My government is just as unclear as you are regarding what I believe you have been referring to as the 'phenomenon from space'."</p>
<p>"I see," said Steve. "Well, frankly, that's both a comfort and a bit of a surprise."</p>
<p>"I believe it would be best to be frank, Captain," T'Challa stated. He held his hand towards the inside of the trailer. "Please, why don't we all sit down and discuss this."</p>
<p>They followed T'Challa into the sparsely furnished office, taking seats on the uncomfortable couches. Propping his shield up against his legs, Steve removed his cowl and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.</p>
<p>"Your Highness, we believe that we may have some information regarding the recent phenomenon that might help to shed some more light on its possible origin," he began. "However, in order to corroborate this information, there are a few questions that we would greatly appreciate answers to, if you don't mind."</p>
<p>"I will see what I can do, Captain," T'Challa said. "But, if I may, I do believe I am already aware of the theory your friend here is about to postulate."</p>
<p>"You are?" Thor said in surprise. "Pardon me, Your Highness, allow me to introduce myself first. I am—"</p>
<p>"You are the Norse god, Thor, son of Odin. The god of thunder," T'Challa said, smiling lightly. "I will say, my younger sister is quite fond of your stories."</p>
<p>Thor let out a wide grin, looking quite pleased with himself. "Well, I am aware that I am quite popular with most of the young people on this planet. That is, of course, assuming that your sister is indeed—"</p>
<p>"She is almost eighteen years old," said T'Challa. He turned to Steve, giving him a knowing look. "Not too much older than your son, I believe."</p>
<p>"Ahh, yes, that's right," Steve said, barely catching his frown before it could form. It was a bit unnerving that a supposedly reclusive monarch seemed to know so much information about them, not to mention that singling out Peter within the first few minutes of their meeting was not going to go over well with Tony, who was no doubt already listening in. "My son is sixteen years old."</p>
<p>"And quite an intelligent young man as well, is he not?" T'Challa asked.</p>
<p>"Yes, he is," Steve said proudly. "He's at least on par with my husband and Dr Bruce Banner, if not even more so."</p>
<p>"Ah, yes, Mr Stark and Dr Banner," said T'Challa. "I have heard of them both as well. My sister would be very eager to meet such a group of well-renowned geniuses, as she is one herself." He cleared his throat, nodding towards Thor. "I am guessing that you are about to inform me that you believe there is something of great importance hidden somewhere inside my country. Is that correct?"</p>
<p>"Yes, it is," Thor said as he sat up straighter. "I've recently experienced a vision, one that I believe to be prophetic in nature." He went on to explain in detail the same vision he had described to the rest of the team before their departure, during which T'Challa listened intently.</p>
<p>"What I believe you are trying to decipher, Thor Odinson, is whether or not Wakanda is the resting place of the gem you would call the Soul Stone," he finally said. "Is that correct?"</p>
<p>"That is exactly correct, Your Highness," said Thor. "And if that is indeed the case, then—"</p>
<p>"Then let me tell you all right now, that I believe that it is," T'Challa said.</p>
<p>"You do?" asked Natasha. "Have you experienced a vision as well?"</p>
<p>T'Challa smiled, in the way a parent would smile at a child who didn't quite understand something. "Not exactly, Ms Romanoff," he said. "You see, in my culture, death is not the end. It's more of a stepping off point. You reach out with both hands to Bast and Sekhmet, and they lead you to the green veld where you can run forever."</p>
<p>"That sounds very peaceful," Natasha said softly.</p>
<p>"My father thought so," T'Challa said with a sigh. "And while I am not my father, I do believe that his belief was strong enough to help me come to understand it as well, eventually." He looked down at his hand, twirling an elaborate silver ring around his index finger. "At least, that is my hope."</p>
<p>"Then… you believe that this green veld might have something to do with the Soul Stone?" Sam asked carefully.</p>
<p>"I do, Mr Wilson," said T'Challa. "In Wakanda we call it the Ancestral Plane, the place where the soul settles after death."</p>
<p>"And your people can then access this place if they wish to speak to their ancestors?" Steve asked. He couldn't help but think of what it might be like to be able to see his ma again.</p>
<p>Or even get the chance to meet his father, who was killed before he was born.</p>
<p>"I'm afraid it's not quite that simple, Captain," T'Challa said. "Only a very few people are granted such a privilege, and it is not something that we take lightly. Communing with one's ancestors requires a ritual that not everyone is equipped to survive."</p>
<p>"Well, then I guess that rules me out," Sam said. "Since I'm just one of your normal, everyday humans."</p>
<p>"Regardless of who can actually access this place," said Steve. "You do believe that Thor is correct? That this Soul Stone might be tied in somehow to your Ancestral Plane?"</p>
<p>"It is possible," said T'Challa. "I would have to go there myself to verify it, but based on what I have experienced in the past, I would be surprised if it were not the case."</p>
<p>"Then you must understand, Your Highness, that your country may in fact be in grave danger," Thor said.</p>
<p>"Wakanda is more than capable of defending itself," T'Challa said firmly. "I am not concerned—"</p>
<p>"Yes, Your Highness, I do understand that," Thor cut in. The tall, strong god looked more frightened than Steve had ever seen him, which did absolutely nothing to calm Steve's already frazzled nerves. "But you see, my entire world, Asgard, was recently destroyed, by a force that I knew nothing about until it was nearly too late to save my people, and that is a fate that I would not wish on anyone. And especially not to the people of this world, who have so graciously granted sanctuary to what is left of my race. So, Your Highness, as a fellow leader, I beg you. Please listen to myself and my dear friends here when we say that this threat is both grim and imminent, and that it is imperative that we all work together in order to defeat it."</p>
<p>Silence stretched on for several heartbeats as Steve attempted to discern what T'Challa was thinking. His expression was scarily neutral, with just the slightest hint of amusement, as if he couldn't imagine the type of scenario Thor was describing.</p>
<p>Then again, based on everything he'd heard about Wakanda and their tech, Steve supposed he couldn't be too surprised. The shield tucked securely next to his legs on the floor was only a tiny example of the effectiveness of the Wakandan technology, and it had been good enough to cushion his leap from over twenty stories up.</p>
<p>A leap that Tony still hadn't let him hear the end of.</p>
<p>"I will take what you said under advisement, which is all I can promise you at the moment," T'Challa finally said. He got to his feet, followed by Steve and the rest of the team. "Now, if you will excuse me, I must make arrangements to return my father's remains to our home—"</p>
<p>Suddenly, all the hair on the back of Steve's neck stood straight up as the air around him sparkled with electricity. He immediately slammed his cowl onto his head and leapt in front of the prince, raising his shield just in time to blunt the force of the explosion that tore through the trailer like it was nothing more than tinfoil.</p>
<p>"Your Highness! Are you—are you all right?" Steve forced past his dust-coated throat as he quickly scanned the wreckage for the rest of his team. His heart gave a leap when he saw Sam crouched down a few metres away, his wings covering Natasha like a huge carbon fibre umbrella. Bucky and Thor were both curled behind a tipped-over couch, a bit dazed like he was, but seemingly unharmed.</p>
<p>"Prince T'Challa!" Steve heard someone scream, presumably one of the female guards that were stationed outside. The entire forward section of the trailer had collapsed into a jumbled mess nearly two metres high, and Steve could hear more explosions booming off in the distance, the frequency of which exactly matched that of the powerful HYDRA grenades he'd heard way too many times over the course of his life.</p>
<p>"My prince, are you all right?"</p>
<p>"I am quite all right," T'Challa called back. He pushed himself up to his feet, nodding at Steve as he brushed the dust from his arms. "I am more than capable of taking care of myself, Captain. You and your team must be on your way."</p>
<p>"With all due respect, Your Highness, I disagree," Steve rasped, groaning as he hoisted himself up. "Thor—?"</p>
<p>"I will remain here until the prince is secured, Captain," Thor said grimly. "Go!"</p>
<p>"Thank you. Sam, Bucky, I need the two of you to fan out. Sam can take the high ground, and Bucky—"</p>
<p>"I'll find a nice spot on the low ground," Bucky said, his expression so similar to how he had been during the war that Steve nearly did a double-take. "And I'll take 'em out, one by one."</p>
<p>"On my signal, okay?" Steve added. "And Nat—"</p>
<p>"I'll follow on your six, Cap," she said. "Just like we practised."</p>
<p>"You got it." Steve squeezed his eyes closed as he sucked in a deep breath, flinching as another grenade exploded about ten metres behind them that was immediately followed by a chorus of panicked screams and shouts. He could only imagine how frantic Tony must be already. "All right, we'll go on my mark. Three… two… one… mark!"</p>
<p>Readying his shield, Steve crouched down behind it, barrelling through the side wall of the trailer with Natasha directly on his heels. As soon as his feet hit the ground outside, he paused and assessed the area, signaling to the two Wakandan guards to approach.</p>
<p>"Do you think you can get the prince to safety?" he asked as the guard T'Challa had referred to as General Okoye rushed forward, her face twisted in worry.</p>
<p>"Yes, we can," she stated. "Thank you, Captain."</p>
<p>"No, no, don't thank me," he said as she disappeared through the hole he'd just made. <em>Please, don't thank me for inviting my old enemy right to your prince's doorstep.</em></p>
<p>Was he ever going to be rid of HYDRA? Or was he destined to be chased by them forever, like the sun by the moon.</p>
<p>"Steve, I'm counting seven hostiles out in the open here," Sam said from somewhere above him, his dual guns blazing as yet another grenade exploded about twenty metres to Steve's right. A second later Bucky emerged from the trailer and dropped to the ground, aiming his rifle at a two story building across the street.</p>
<p>"He's on the roof," he said, his hands as steady as a surgeon's as he squinted through the rifle's scope and fired, jumping up as soon as the enemy soldier thudded to the ground. "That's one."</p>
<p>"Nope, it's two!" Sam called as he swooped in, aiming his legs like a battering ram just as another HYDRA soldier emerged from a broken-down car, an unlocked grenade still clutched in his gloved hand. Sam sent the soldier flying across the street and into another parked car as Steve raced towards the bouncing grenade, slamming his shield down on top of it just in time to contain the explosion.</p>
<p>"Sam, we need to figure out where these guys are coming from," Steve said as he stood back up, scanning the smoke- and debris-filled area. "There's gotta be some kind of centralised area that they're working from."</p>
<p>"Copy that, Cap," answered Sam.</p>
<p>"Captain," Thor said over the comm. "I have seen Prince T'Challa and his warrior guards safely to their transport. How can I assist you?"</p>
<p>"I could use some help searching the building," said Natasha. "If HYDRA's going through all of this trouble, then I'm guessing there's still something here that they want."</p>
<p><em>Besides me?</em> Steve thought, giving his head a quick shake. "Great idea, Nat," he said. "And if the two of you find anything, be sure to contact Tony and Bruce right away. They'll know how best to contain it."</p>
<p>"Copy that, Steve," Natasha said. "Thor, meet me by the south side entrance to the Institute."</p>
<p>"I am on my way."</p>
<p>Another rifle shot off to his left caused Steve to snap around, just in time to see Bucky's triumphant wink.</p>
<p>"Got another one, Стиви," he said. "And I'm pretty sure that's all of 'em in this section."</p>
<p>"Then let's move on to the building," Steve said. He clapped his hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Nice job, Buck."</p>
<p>They had barely taken three steps before Natasha came over the comm. "Cap, Thor and I are counting at least fifteen more hostiles in here, and they've just released some kind of gas that's clouding up the second and third floors."</p>
<p>"All right. What's your play?"</p>
<p>"Well, I'm thinking that Thor's lightning is out of the question, so—"</p>
<p>"Give me a second, I'm almost there," Sam cut in. "Let me see what Redwing can find." A second later Steve saw Redwing take off from the back of Sam's pack and swoop down into the building, which was now filled with billowing white smoke.</p>
<p>"Seems like that first attack didn't take out the entire payload after all," added Sam. "The soldiers are all making their way up to the third floor."</p>
<p>Steve frowned, eyeing the top floor of the building as he and Bucky trotted into the parking lot. None of the team members had gas masks available, which he had a feeling he was going to hear about once he got home.</p>
<p>"Стив, there," Bucky said as he tapped Steve on the arm. He pointed his rifle tip at the top of what looked like some kind of tank about ten metres away. "Let me get up there and see what I can see."</p>
<p>"Good idea. Go," Steve said rapidly, still scanning the area. The explosions had stopped, but there was still plenty of debris falling from the crumbling building and dozens of frightened people still milling about. "Do we have fire and rescue on the way?"</p>
<p>"I'm on it, Cap," came Hill's voice over the comm. "I was just seeing Prince T'Challa off. The fire brigade should be here in about five minutes."</p>
<p>"Which means we have even less than that to find these guys," answered Steve. "All right. Sam, pull Redwing back, I don't want to give them any warning. Bucky, let me know as soon as you're in position. Nat and Thor, keep as close as you can without putting yourselves at unnecessary risk. Do not, I repeat, do <em>not </em>allow any of those soldiers to leave with that biological, is that understood?"</p>
<p>"Understood," Nat and Thor both said.</p>
<p>A series of rapid rifle shots suddenly pierced through the air, and Steve glanced to his right to find Bucky engaged with two HYDRA soldiers on top of the tank. He immediately took off towards them, leaping onto the tank and swinging his shield, hitting one soldier square on the chin and sending him flying off the side. He quickly ducked behind his shield as Bucky slammed the butt of his rifle between the shoulder blades of the second soldier, knocking him off with a quick elbow to the chest.</p>
<p>"There's still one more down inside it," Bucky said as he yanked Steve back just in time to avoid his foot getting caught in the hatch as it slammed shut. "Actually, make that two."</p>
<p>"Cap, be advised there's another tank on the south side of the building," Sam said. "And it's still firing."</p>
<p>"All right, I'm on it," Steve said. He locked eyes with Bucky, nodding as Bucky reached his metal arm towards the hatch's handle. "Three… two… one…"</p>
<p>Pulling back on the handle, Bucky stepped back, allowing Steve to reach inside the tank and grab onto the collar of one of the soldiers, yanking him out and launching him twenty metres away, where he landed with a rather sickening <em>thud.</em> Another gunshot flashed from deep inside just as Steve regained his footing, passing so closely to his nose that he felt the heat coming off the bullet as it zoomed by.</p>
<p>
  <em>That was way too close… </em>
</p>
<p>"Goddamnit!" Bucky yelled as he knocked Steve out of the way and pointed his rifle inside the tank, firing once.</p>
<p>"There," he said as the soldier fell to the floor of the tank, dead. "Pretty sure that's everyone."</p>
<p>Steve's heart was in his throat as he nodded. "At least everyone here."</p>
<p>"I'm still counting at least ten more hostiles inside the building," Sam said as he swooped overhead. "Nat and Thor have most of 'em pinned inside, and I've taken out at least three, but—"</p>
<p>"Bucky's got control of the north side tank," Steve said. "He's gonna take it around to the west side of the building and block the escape route there. I'm already on my way to the tank on the south side."</p>
<p>"Copy that, Cap."</p>
<p>But Steve had barely rounded the corner when the tank he was aiming for suddenly aimed its turret and fired directly at him, sending him careening into the side of the building. Steve grunted in pain as he landed smack on his face on a second-floor concrete fire escape, watching helplessly as his shield bounced over the side and dropped to the ground.</p>
<p>"Now I've got you, you son of a bitch!" Steve heard as he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, trying to catch his breath. His ears were still ringing from the various gunshots and explosions, and it took a couple of heartbeats for Steve to process why the voice sounded so familiar, and who it belonged to.</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh my God.</em>
</p>
<p>It was Brock Rumlow, the very same man who had tried to hold Peter hostage inside a Washington D.C. SHIELD building during the Chitauri invasion. And all this time, Steve had thought he had died during the Battle of the Triskelion.</p>
<p>But apparently, just like HYDRA itself, Rumlow didn't like to die very easily.</p>
<p>"Tony, it's okay," he sputtered, wishing like hell he could offer up some other comfort to his poor husband beyond mere words. "I'm okay."</p>
<p>"<em>Like hell you are!" </em>he imagined Tony saying, complete with the infamous Stark scowl that Steve had witnessed multiple times on all three of the Stark men he'd known. "<em>On your feet, soldier!"</em></p>
<p>"I'm trying, I'm trying," Steve muttered. He bit down on his bottom lip to keep from groaning as he pulled himself up using the metal railing, looking down at the tank just in time for Rumlow to aim and fire again. Steve leapt off the fire escape just in time, jumping down on top of a massive trash compactor before landing on the ground a metre or two away from his shield.</p>
<p>"Nat, Thor, there's two of your guys trying to sneak out of the side there, hiding behind the cloud of teargas they've just unleashed," Sam said as Steve scrambled to grab his shield.</p>
<p>"Got it," Natasha said. "I'm on 'em."</p>
<p>"Guys, it's Rumlow," Steve said as he got to his feet, managing to slide underneath Rumlow's next tank shot just in time. "I've got him in my sights."</p>
<p>"Oh, Christ," Steve heard Sam mutter as he took off, leaping onto the tank just as Rumlow was preparing to fire again. He swung his shield, intending to strike Rumlow in the head as Rumlow raised his right arm to block the blow, landing a hard punch to Steve's abdomen with his left. Steve grunted as he fell sideways from the tank, managing to right himself just in time to land on his feet. Both of Rumlow's forearms were covered in thick, metal gauntlets, not too unlike the first few versions of Tony's gauntlets, and sounded exactly like the old WWII HYDRA weapons as they charged.</p>
<p>"I've been waiting for this!" Rumlow screamed as he landed next to Steve. He swung his right arm, connecting his fist directly in the middle of Steve's chest and sending him flying backwards into some kind of merchant stand as several nearby vendors and customers scattered into the retreating crowd. Steve gasped for air, trying desperately to stamp down the panic he always felt whenever he got the wind knocked out of him.</p>
<p>"Hill, get all of these people out of here!" he wheezed. "This fight's not over yet!"</p>
<p>"I'm working on it, Steve!" Hill snapped. "We weren't exactly prepared for an ambush here!"</p>
<p>"Steve, Thor and I have secured the biological," Nat said, just as Rumlow aimed a hard kick directly at Steve's face. He managed to get his arm up in time to block the kick, rolling up onto his feet and crossing his arms as Rumlow advanced. His shield still several metres away, Steve dodged and twisted as Rumlow continued to swing, leading him away from most of the onlookers and hoping he would eventually tire himself out enough to make a mistake.</p>
<p>A few swings later, Steve got his chance. As Rumlow attempted to pull back his right arm, Steve grabbed onto the gauntlet, ripping it off Rumlow's forearm and tossing it aside. Rumlow snarled as he popped a blade from the tip of his left gauntlet, swinging it wildly as Steve continued to dodge the repeated attempts, finally landing a particularly hard punch directly to Rumlow's kidney, sending him flying as he screamed in pain. Steve marched over to where he was sprawled out, writhing in the dirt, and grabbed onto the front of his uniform, hauling him up onto his knees.</p>
<p>"What the hell are you doing here?" Steve snapped, unable to hide his look of horror at Rumlow's face, which was covered with grotesquely pitted and stretched-out skin.</p>
<p>"What, don't tell me you don't recognise me, <em>Captain," </em>Rumlow spat out. "I mean, I know I'm not as pretty as you are anymore, but I still thought that—"</p>
<p>"What're you trying to do with that biological?" Steve demanded. "HYDRA's dead in the water and you know it, so who're you trying to sell it to?"</p>
<p>Rumlow's bright pink lips curled into a sneer, one so awful that an ice-cold shiver raced down Steve's spine. "What makes you think i was gonna sell it to anyone?" he said, letting out a laugh that was so slimy it made Steve's blood run cold. "Hey, how's that kid of yours doing, hmm? He still getting those… what'd you call them? Premonitions? Does he still think I'm a bad guy who's gonna come and get him during the night?"</p>
<p>Rage flooded Steve's body, so strongly that he literally saw red. "What the hell are you talking about?" he yelled, his hands gripping Rumlow's uniform so tightly that a bolt of pain shot through his fingers. "How dare you even mention—!"</p>
<p>"What, mention the fact that your kid is nothing more than some freaky science experiment gone wrong?" said Rumlow. "You know, I saw all the records. Those scientists, they were gonna create an entire army of creatures like him. But all they ended up with was some weak, scrawny kid who's afraid of his own goddamn shadow. What a waste—"</p>
<p>A sudden gunshot pierced the air, the shockwave rippling through Steve's entire rigid body as Rumlow slumped in his grip, his head lolling forward. Steve let out a yelp as he shoved him away, nearly knocking Bucky over as he stumbled backwards.</p>
<p>"Whoa there, Стиви," Bucky said, catching Steve just before his legs gave way. He lowered Steve to the ground, crouching down in front of him. "It's okay. He's gone. Rumlow's gone now."</p>
<p>"JARVIS!" Steve shrieked as he tore off his cowl, fumbling in his belt pocket for his phone. His hands were shaking so badly he could barely hold onto the small device, and his chest was so tight it felt like it was about to split open. "JARVIS, where's Peter?"</p>
<p>"Master Peter is currently sleeping peacefully, Captain," JARVIS answered, his calm voice such a sharp contrast to Steve's roiling emotions that Steve nearly burst into tears. "Would you like me to wake him?"</p>
<p>"No, no, that's okay." Steve squeezed his eyes closed, pressing his palm to his chest. Peter was okay. He was safe at home, sleeping in his bed. "Just… please tell him that I love him once he wakes up in the morning. And that I'll see him soon."</p>
<p>"I will be happy to, Captain," JARVIS said. "Oh, and I also have an urgent request from Mr Stark that you telephone him as soon as it is appropriate for you to do so."</p>
<p>Steve gave a nod, ignoring the fact that JARVIS couldn't see him. "Yes, please tell him that I will. As soon as I can."</p>
<p>"Very good, Captain."</p>
<p>"Стив, you know that asshole was just trying to get to you," Bucky said gently.</p>
<p>Steve swiped at his eyes, stowing his phone back into his pocket. "Yeah, well, it worked. He knew right where to hit me."</p>
<p>"That's what HYDRA always does, Стиви," Bucky said, laced with both anger and remorse. "They hit you where they know it'll hurt, and then they just keep on hittin' and hittin', until all you can think about is making the pain go away."</p>
<p>Steve dropped his chin to his chest, blinking away the tears still threatening to fall. If anyone knew how relentless HYDRA could be, it was Bucky.</p>
<p>"Cap? Bucky? You guys okay?" Sam said as he landed a few metres away, his wings folding themselves back into his Falcon pack as he trotted towards them.</p>
<p>"Yeah, Sam, we're good," answered Steve. He took Sam's outstretched hand, hoisting himself up to his feet as Thor and Natasha came into view. "Nat, you still got that biological?"</p>
<p>"Just turned it over to Hill," Natasha said as she and Thor reached their group. "She's going to take it with her back to the Compound."</p>
<p>"She doesn't think Tony and Bruce should look at it first?" Steve asked.</p>
<p>"Potential biological weapons aren't really either of their areas of expertise, Steve," Natasha said gently. "I'm sure if any of the SHIELD scientists have questions that either of them can answer that they'll be looped in right away."</p>
<p>"Mmm," muttered Steve. He wasn't about to say it out loud, but he still didn't quite trust SHIELD. Even with Fury's ongoing vetting process for his people, the fact that they were still finding rogue HYDRA agents embedded in SHIELD only a little over a year ago rankled him. "If you think that's best, then I'm sure it's okay."</p>
<p>"I'll make sure whoever studies it reports directly to Helen Cho, okay?" Natasha said. "Would that help?"</p>
<p>"Yes, it would," answered Steve. "Thank you."</p>
<p>"Good." Natasha glanced around at the path of destruction left behind from the battle, shaking her head. "You guys about ready to get out of here? Hill said the local fire brigade's got everything under control now."</p>
<p>"Do you know if there were any civilian casualties?" Steve asked.</p>
<p>"Hill reported a few bumps and bruises, but other than that it was mainly just property damage." Natasha paused, giving Steve a knowing smile. "And she also told me that the Stark Relief Foundation has already pledged to replace all of the destroyed vendor stalls and any lost merchandise, so…"</p>
<p>"Oh," Steve said, allowing himself a genuine smile. Of course Tony would already be thinking of something like that. "That'll hopefully be better press for us than another destroyed building."</p>
<p>"I'm pretty sure you're right," said Sam. "Now, if we're all done talking here, I'm ready to get going."</p>
<p>"As am I, Captain," said Thor. "I have already left Loki and Valkyrie alone for far longer than I am comfortable."</p>
<p>"You guys go ahead, I'll meet you back at the jet," Steve said as he reached for his phone. "I just need—"</p>
<p>"You just need to check in," said Natasha. "And actually, so do I. See ya in a few."</p>
<p>"You want me to stay with you?" Bucky asked as Sam, Thor, and Natasha all headed off in the direction of the jet.</p>
<p>"No, thanks," answered Steve. He held up his phone. "I'll… I'll be okay. I just need—"</p>
<p>"Just need to tell Tony that you're not dead," Bucky said. "I get it."</p>
<p>"Something like that."</p>
<p>Steve watched Bucky go, still struggling to breathe in the dust-laden air that smelled of ozone, gunpowder, and teargas. It was only supposed to have been a diplomatic mission, not yet another battle with the very same enemy that had haunted Steve ever since the war.</p>
<p>He was so tired of being haunted by them. So, so tired.</p>
<p>"JARVIS," he said, grateful when his voice didn't crack. "Can you call Tony please?"</p>
<p>"I would be happy to, Captain."</p>
<hr/>
<p>Tony's fists were tightly clenched as he paced back and forth in his lab, the not-so-calm discussion he'd just had with Fury still echoing inside his mind. Fury had assured Tony months ago that every single member of the former STRIKE team had been accounted for, and that Rumlow was likely fish food at the bottom of the Potomac following the crash of the three Project Insight helicarriers.</p>
<p>But apparently, the same HYDRA asshole who had caused Peter's Spider Sense to flare up even before he understood what it was had just been biding his time, waiting for the right opportunity to strike back at them. And Tony had not held anything back when he'd informed Fury how unhappy he was about it.</p>
<p>"C'mon, Steve," Tony muttered as he turned on his heel, knocking one of his hovering holograms aside as he retraced his steps. He'd had JARVIS run another diagnostic on his new nanite suit design after he hung up with Fury, and based on how well it had performed, he was planning on getting started on his actual suit as soon as he got off the phone with Steve.</p>
<p>And then, once he got his own suit perfected, he was going to build one for Steve, no matter how much he tried to protest. Having to listen to his husband fight hand-to-hand against some maniac with a personal vendetta was just too much for Tony to take.</p>
<p>"Sir, I have Captain Rogers on the li—"</p>
<p>"Put him through, J!" Tony snapped. He whipped around, trying to force his face into a scowl, which failed miserably as soon as Steve's haggard face appeared on the screen.</p>
<p>"Oh, Jesus, Steve, what the hell was all that?" he cried.</p>
<p>"I don't know, sweetheart," Steve answered, so thick and low that it forced Tony to abandon all pretense of trying to be angry. His face crumpled as he traced Steve's cheek on the screen, right through a smear of dusty grime. "We were just sitting there talking, and suddenly all hell broke loose."</p>
<p>"Honey, I know. I was listening the whole time, and—" Tony broke off, swallowing hard. It wouldn't do any good to make Steve feel worse than he obviously was already. "You're sure that asshole Rumlow is dead now though, right?"</p>
<p>"Yes, mo grá, I promise," said Steve. "Bucky got him right in the chest."</p>
<p>Tony's fingers twitched, an involuntary response he had whenever Bucky was mentioned that he hadn't quite been able to shake just yet.</p>
<p>"Well… that's good," he finally said. <em>It still should've been me.</em></p>
<p>"You staying home was still the right choice, Tony," Steve said firmly, once again demonstrating his prowess at reading Tony's thoughts. "How's Peter doing?"</p>
<p>"He didn't hear anything, if that's what you're wondering," answered Tony. "He's been asleep for the last three hours, and I had JARVIS disable the audio for your chip on his stuff."</p>
<p>"That's good." Steve tilted his head, a slight smile on his full lips. "The new uniform performed perfectly, in case you're wondering."</p>
<p>"Including the boots?" Tony asked.</p>
<p>"Yes, especially the boots," Steve said softly. "I wish you'd try and get some sleep. You look tired."</p>
<p>"Yeah, well, you look like hell too, only I wasn't gonna say anything," Tony snapped, regretting his harsh words almost instantly when Steve's shoulders sagged. "No, honey, I didn't—I didn't mean it like that."</p>
<p>"I know you didn't," Steve murmured. "I'm just—"</p>
<p>"Look, I know what you're thinking, and honey, you can wish all you want, but it's just not gonna happen. Not with—well, it's just not, okay? Just get back here, yeah? Pete misses you."</p>
<p>"And I miss him," said Steve. "We're gonna be heading out in about fifteen minutes, okay? I'll see you soon."</p>
<p>"Yep. I'll be here." Tony's heart fluttered as Steve pressed his fingers to his lips, then to the screen before it went blank, something he did whenever they were separated.</p>
<p>"Love you, honey," Tony whispered into the empty lab. Then he sucked in a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. He'd run out of coffee just before the first explosion hit, and it was far past the time for a refill.</p>
<p>Making his way out to the kitchen, Tony once again replayed his conversation with Fury in his mind while he waited for the coffeemaker to work its magic. Fury was insisting that the incident that killed the Wakandan king was completely separate from the space attack, and while Tony was still reluctant to concede that a coincidence was possible, he had to admit that Rumlow's sudden reappearance did tip the odds a bit more in that direction.</p>
<p>"Pardon me, sir," JARVIS said quietly. "I have a message from Director Fury."</p>
<p>Tony rolled his eyes. "Yeah? What's he want now?"</p>
<p>"His message states that all perpetrators responsible for the two attacks in Namibia have been accounted for," said JARVIS.</p>
<p>"Oh, really? And are any of 'em actually still alive?" asked Tony.</p>
<p>"Unfortunately, no. Director Fury stated that the final perpetrator took his own life to avoid capture."</p>
<p>"Ah huh," Tony muttered. "Typical HYDRA."</p>
<p>"Yes, sir. However, with these identifications, Director Fury strongly believes that we have finally seen the last of HYDRA's agents."</p>
<p>Tony chuckled as he poured the steaming hot coffee into one of his favourite mugs, some silly craft project that Peter had made for him in the third grade. "Pardon me if I won't believe that until I see it. Or don't see it, as the case may be."</p>
<p>"Yes, sir. Director Fury anticipated that that would be your response."</p>
<p>"Yeah, I'm sure he did." Tony blew across the top of his mug before taking a generous sip, closing his eyes as the hot liquid worked its way down his throat. Having HYDRA out of the picture would eliminate a good amount of the stress that Tony carried, especially where Steve and Peter were concerned. HYDRA had been haunting Steve for over seven decades, a proverbial thorn in his side ever since he'd joined the army back in 1942.</p>
<p>It was almost too good to be true, which is why Tony couldn't believe it. Not yet.</p>
<p>But even so, the elimination of HYDRA as a threat would allow Tony to focus all of his attention on the imminent Chitauri threat, which, based on the increasing severity of his nightmares, was only getting worse with every day that passed.</p>
<p>Padding back to his lab, Tony set down his mug, tapping his monitors to life. He leaned back in his chair, studying the mockup of the nanite Captain America uniform he'd had JARVIS get started on while he was waiting for Steve's call.</p>
<p>"What do ya think, J?" Tony said as he tossed the hologram into the space next to him. He ran his finger down his goatee, giving the belt design a quick tweak. "You think Steve's gonna like it?"</p>
<p>"I am uncertain, sir, given Captain Rogers' previous statements regarding nanite armour. However, I will say, this configuration is far closer to Captain Rogers' current uniform design than it is to the Iron Man armour."</p>
<p>"See? There ya go," said Tony. "I'm sure between the two of us we'll be able to convince him."</p>
<p>"If you say so, sir," JARVIS said warily.</p>
<p>"And I do," Tony stated. "So…" He trailed off as he became engrossed in his work, adjusting and tweaking and rearranging the tiny nanite blocks that were not too unlike Peter's beloved Legos, only about a zillion times smaller.</p>
<p>Because even if HYDRA was gone, Tony was not taking any chances, and especially not with his husband and son. He was going to make sure that whenever—not <em>if </em>ever—the Chitauri decided to make their return, that the Avengers would be ready.</p>
<p>That, up there, that army waiting in space for the perfect moment to strike, was the endgame.</p>
<p>And Tony needed to be ready for it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I know you’re all probably missing Peter, so we’ll get to hear from him first in the next chapter 😊.</p>
<p>I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment!  💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Time to hustle, Pete!" Dad called from the living room. "The Dad Taxi's leaving!"</p><p>"Yeah, I know! Just a sec!" Peter answered as he shoved his trigonometry textbook into his backpack, carefully zipping it closed. Then he patted his back jeans pockets, and his hoodie pockets, and his front backpack pockets, searching for the stupid phone that he couldn't seem to find. Again.</p><p>"JARVIS, do you know where my phone is?" he asked as he grabbed one of the blankets on his bed, giving it a hard shake. He cringed as his phone suddenly shot out from somewhere deep within the blanket's depths, aiming directly for the wall.</p><p>"Oh no!" he cried as he immediately launched himself at it, managing to grab it just before it would've shattered against the wall. StarkPhones were durable, and Dad had made his even more so since he'd already managed to break so many of them. But not even Dad could build a phone that was completely Spider-Man proof, and especially not when his bedroom walls were reinforced so he didn't accidentally crash through them during his occasional sleepwalking or otherwise sleepy walking incidents.</p><p>'Cause that was definitely <em>not </em>something Peter ever cared to repeat.</p><p>"I do believe that your telephone is currently in your hand, Master Peter," JARVIS answered.</p><p>Peter huffed as he pocketed the phone, shooting the ceiling a deep scowl. "Gee, thanks, JARVIS. You're such a big help."</p><p>"I always aim to please, Master Peter," said JARVIS. "As you are well aware."</p><p>"Um… yeah," Peter said, stamping down the guilt welling deep inside his belly as he grabbed his jacket. "Ah… thanks."</p><p>"You are most welcome. Have a wonderful day at school."</p><p>Shouldering his backpack, Peter hurried out of his room to find Dad and Uncle Bruce already waiting inside the elevator, with Uncle Bruce balancing his usual stack of rumpled papers and books while talking on the phone with Dr Cho. He and Dr Cho were co-writing a scientific paper describing the unique genetic mutations present in Peter, Pietro, and Wanda's DNA, and Peter knew Uncle Bruce was eager to get it finished so they could publish it. It was their thought that by acknowledging the presence of their DNA mutations that perhaps other people with similar mutations would come forward, opening doors to possible research into how and why these mutations were taking place. According to Wanda and Pietro, their father had been a so-called mutant as well, with the ability to manipulate metal, such that the HYDRA officials had been forced to imprison him in a cell made only out of plastic and fibreglass.</p><p>The twins had also told Peter and the rest of the team that after their father was killed, HYDRA burned his body rather than risk having him fall into someone else's hands for possible study. Following the massive battle against Justin Hammer's HYDRA suits, Gwen's father had been crucial in helping the twins locate the area of the bunker where their father had been killed, allowing them to gather up some of his ashes to take with them.</p><p>"You've got your glasses and earplugs, right?" Dad asked as the elevator doors closed.</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter answered, patting his backpack. "I've got one pair of each in here and one in my locker."</p><p>"Sounds good, bud," said Dad. "'Cause you know I'm not sure how long we're gonna be today, so—"</p><p>"Dad, it's fine," Peter cut in. "You don't have to worry about me." Papa, Uncle Sam, and Uncle Bucky had left for a debriefing with Director Fury up at the Compound over an hour ago, and Peter knew that Dad was already anxious to join them. Peter's dads had warned him that the debriefing might become an all-day event, and had even gone so far as to arrange for him to hang out at Gwen's house after Decathlon practise, something that Dad and Papa never did unless they had no other choice.</p><p>But, based on the massive bomb that Uncle Thor dropped when he blasted himself onto the Tower right before Papa left, and what Peter had overheard while Papa was down in Namibia, he wasn't surprised that the team had a lot to discuss. He only wished that he could be in on it, instead of having to watch—or listen—from the sidelines. Again.</p><p>It hadn't been too surprising that Dad had programmed JARVIS to block Peter from listening in on Papa's locator chip frequency during his trip, forcing Peter to use yet another of his complicated override programs in order to work around it. Peter was used to sneaking around, and as much as he hated having to do it so often, he wasn't about to stop just because his dads still thought he was some helpless little kid.</p><p>Because he wasn't, damnit. In his mind, he had already proven multiple times that he could be just as much of a real Avengers teammate as the twins were, if only his dads would give him the chance. Aside from the programming and coding expertise that allowed him to do things like discover the location of HYDRA's invisible bunker, he was doing awesome during the team's weekend training sessions, and even managed to web Papa to the ceiling of the Compound's three-story training dome a couple weeks ago, forcing Dad to have to retrieve him. And yet, every single time Peter even attempted to suggest that he was ready for more, he was immediately shot down.</p><p>"<em>You're still very young, little guy. There'll be plenty of time for superheroing once you're older."</em></p><p>"<em>I don't care that you can bench press Papa's truck, Pete. You're still way too young to be Avenging."</em></p><p>
  <em>Hmph.</em>
</p><p>Even the fact that Peter was the one who had figured out where HYDRA had taken Papa after they arrested him back in May didn't seem to matter. Without his goofy spider-vision that had enabled him to see through the retro-reflective panels surrounding the building, Papa may very well have been dead by the time Dad and the rest of the team managed to locate him.</p><p>Peter shivered at the awful thought, prompting Dad to glance his way as they exited the elevator.</p><p>"You okay, buddy?" he asked.</p><p>"Uh huh," said Peter. "Just a bit cold."</p><p>"Mmm. Probably about time to pull out your heated undershirts, don't ya think?" said Dad. "Don't need you to be shivering out of your skin while you're at school."</p><p>"Yeah, I can start wearing them."</p><p>"So, Helen thinks we should hopefully be able to get the paper published in the journal <em>Genetics</em> by the beginning of the year," Uncle Bruce said as Dad pulled his car onto the street. "She's already got the first draft undergoing review."</p><p>"Ahh, who's she got reading it?" Dad asked. "'Cause it better not be someone that Steve and I don't know."</p><p>"It's one of her colleagues at the U-GIN group, Tony, who's already been vetted by Fury at least three times," Uncle Bruce said. "And you know that we've both taken extra precautions to remove all possible identifying characteristics. The only people who'll know who we're talking about are the team and Nick Fury."</p><p>Dad scoffed. "Yeah, well, pardon me if I don't exactly trust Fury and his vetting process too much at the moment. Especially since he just sent Steve and the others right into another fucking ambush." He winced, glancing at Peter in the rearview mirror. "Sorry, bud."</p><p>Peter shrugged. "You know that doesn't bother me, Dad." 'Cause it didn't. Papa was the one who was always super-hyper about swearing, not him.</p><p>"Tony, I'm pretty sure that Nick didn't know anything about HYDRA being responsible for that bombing," Uncle Bruce said carefully. "I don't think he would've deliberately put Prince T'Challa in harm's way like that, and especially if he's trying to court him as an ally."</p><p>"Mmm, maybe not," grumbled Dad. "But it's apparently perfectly fine for Fury to put Steve in harm's way. Again."</p><p>"Steve was doing his job," said Uncle Bruce. "Just like you and I would have if we'd've been there. Although, I probably would've made an even bigger mess than the HYDRA guys ended up making, so… maybe it was a good thing that I wasn't there."</p><p>Dad let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know, big guy. If it would've meant the difference between making a mess and Steve not being tossed off of yet another fucking building, I'd've taken the mess." He winced again as he glanced back at Peter. "Sorry, bud."</p><p>Peter rolled his eyes. "Dad, I said it's okay. You used to say a lot worse before Papa came along."</p><p>"Yeah, well… there's nothing wrong with trying to be better," Dad said softly. "Right, Pete?"</p><p>Something about the tone of Dad's voice, the slight quiver that Peter knew that he was reigning in just for him, caused his belly to swoop in fear. Dad had already been twitchy as hell ever since the weird space thing over Wakanda, and now, after adding on Uncle Thor's proclamation of doom and yet another attack by HYDRA where Papa was almost seriously hurt, Peter was surprised that Dad could still function with how worried he was. Peter knew that he hadn't slept more than an hour or two since Papa left for Namibia, and was rapidly approaching his post-Battle of New York levels of obsession with finalising his nanite armour so he could then get started on a suit for Papa.</p><p>All of which just made Peter's own feelings of frustration and helplessness that much worse. He could help, he knew that he could. He was so much more than just some scrawny kid who was afraid of his own shadow, as that asshole Rumlow had so bluntly put it. He was Spider-Man. Even if he had to keep it a secret.</p><p><em>Jerk, </em>Peter thought bitterly. <em>I'm glad he's finally dead now.</em></p><p>"Yeah, I know," Peter said as Dad pulled into the school's parking lot. He smiled as he noticed Gwen waiting for him by the doors, like she usually did. Since her dad's police shift started pretty early in the mornings, she usually got dropped off at school almost thirty minutes before the first bell.</p><p>"So the plan is that you'll go home with Gwen and her father unless you hear otherwise from me, okay, bud?" Dad said as Peter unbuckled his seatbelt. "And then Papa and I will pick you up from their house as soon as we get back from upstate."</p><p>"Uh huh," answered Peter. "Say hi to everyone for me, okay?"</p><p>"We will, bud," said Dad. "Have a good day."</p><p>"Thanks. Bye, Uncle Bruce."</p><p>"See ya later, Peter."</p><p>Hurrying over to Gwen, Peter stopped short as she gave Dad and Uncle Bruce a sort of shy wave, letting out a high-pitched squeal as Dad drove away.</p><p>"I still can't get over the fact that <em>the </em>Dr Bruce Banner sometimes drives you to school," she said. "That's like… well… it's just like—"</p><p>"You know Uncle Bruce is even clumsier than me, right?" Peter said. "Like, poor DUM-E can barely keep up with how many coffee cups he's managed to break in my dad's lab, and—"</p><p>Gwen halted him with a harsh look. "Okay, now you're just being a bit over the top, don't you think? Peter, Dr Banner is the foremost expert—"</p><p>"On about eleventy-billion things, yes, I know," Peter cut in as he held the door open for her. "But that doesn't mean he's not human."</p><p>"Well… yeah… but he's not exactly the same kind of human as you or me—" Gwen broke off as she caught Peter's <em>duh</em> look. "Well… I guess, just me, then."</p><p>"Actually, Uncle Bruce is like Papa and Uncle Bucky," Peter muttered as they headed for his locker. "Enhanced after the fact."</p><p>"Whereas you're innately enhanced, like Pietro and Wanda. Yeah, we've been over this a million times already," Gwen said. She frowned as she tugged on her long, blonde ponytail. "What's up with you this morning?"</p><p>Peter huffed, squinting as he tried to concentrate on opening his locker without breaking the lock. "Just… tired…" he finally said. "Didn't sleep all that great."</p><p>"Okay. Do you wanna talk about it?" asked Gwen.</p><p>"No, not really," Peter replied, breathing a slight sigh of relief as his locker popped open. He shoved his backpack and jacket inside, pulling out the books he needed for his first three classes. "I'd love to forget about all of it, actually, but I don't think that's possible anymore."</p><p>"No, probably not, but it seems like something new has come up that's got you upset," Gwen said. "'Cause you didn't seem this melancholy last night on the phone."</p><p>"Melancholy?" Peter said with a chuckle. "You've been reading Jane Austen again, haven't you?"</p><p>Gwen smiled, sending a burst of warmth across Peter's chest. If he could only figure out some way to bottle his girl's radiant smile, he'd never have to worry about being cold ever again.</p><p>"Well, so what if I have?" she asked. "She's a lot more interesting than Kurt Vonnegut, if I do say so."</p><p>"Yeah, I can't fault you there," said Peter. "But I wish you could've seen my papa's face when I told him that the theme for this year's Decathlon was the Cold War. You know how much he loves history, so—"</p><p>"Especially history that he didn't get to live through," added Gwen. "Yeah, I bet he was excited."</p><p>"Yeah, he was," Peter said. "He even told me we could go shopping for a telescope once we get up to the Compound this weekend." He didn't add that it was beyond weird that they just happened to be preparing to study the space race between the United States and the former Soviet Union right after the occurrence of an actual space phenomenon.</p><p>
  <em>But at least we know it didn't come from the Soviet Union.</em>
</p><p>Although, now that Peter thought about it, if it had, it might've helped ease Dad's twitchiness a bit. Not knowing where the phenomenon came from was one of the main things that kept Dad pacing trails in the hallways in the middle of the night. And Papa too, by proxy.</p><p>"Oh, that's so cool!" Gwen exclaimed. "You'll have to send me some pictures once you get it."</p><p>"Pictures of what?" Ned asked as he suddenly appeared behind Peter's left shoulder. Peter jumped, almost knocking into Gwen as he grabbed her hand, tugging her around.</p><p>"Jesus, Ned!" Peter exclaimed. "Dude, you can't sneak up on me like that!"</p><p>Ned's eyebrows knitted together. "Um… I didn't, but okay. But what're you taking pictures of?"</p><p>"Peter's gonna get a telescope this coming weekend," said Gwen.</p><p>"Really?" Ned said. "Dude, that's so cool! Are you gonna let us come over and see it once you get it set up?"</p><p>"Ah, it's gonna be up at the Compound," said Peter. "Sorry."</p><p>"Oh," Ned said. "Well, I guess that makes more sense, since upstate's probably better for stargazing. It just kinda sucks that you've gotta go up there every single weekend."</p><p>"Eh, it's not so bad," Peter said. "It's actually kinda nice to get out of the city every now and then. It's a lot quieter up there."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess. But since when did you like it quiet?" Ned asked. "You know what, nevermind. Wait till you hear what my mom heard yesterday at her book club."</p><p>"You mean her gossip club, right?" Gwen asked as they made their way towards their homeroom classroom. "'Cause I swear all your mom seems to do there is talk about people."</p><p>"Well… yeah, that is part of it," Ned admitted. "You know my mom just likes to know what's going on, so…" He gave his head a quick shake. "Anyway, she told me that one of her friends was walking in the city on Saturday afternoon and saw Dr Stephen Strange go into a comic book store."</p><p>"Who?" asked Gwen, shooting Peter a questioning look. "Am I supposed to know who that is or something?"</p><p>"He's that rich doctor that drove his car off a mountain a few months ago," said Peter. "The neurosurgeon?" He didn't add that Dad had disliked Dr Strange ever since he and Papa had tried to get him to consult on Peter during his weeks-long coma after the battle in the Miami bunker, and that the surgeon had flat-out refused because he'd said that he didn't work on children.</p><p>And no amount of begging, pleading, or bribing could get him to change his mind.</p><p>Oh well, it'd probably been for the best anyway. From what Peter had heard about Dr Strange, he was a massive jerk, and Dad did not have a good track record dealing with medical professionals who were jerks. Dad was amazingly generous with most of the doctors and nurses who had treated Peter back when he was little, and sick most of the time, but Peter had witnessed him dressing down plenty of arrogant or jerky ones too. Since Dad had enough intelligence and knowledge to pretty much get his own medical degree in any number of fields, he tended to figure out who he could trust and who he could not very quickly.</p><p>As it turned out, Dr Strange wouldn't have been able to do anything for Peter anyway, and not getting him involved ended up saving his dads from having to explain Peter's genetic mutation and enhancements to yet another person outside their family.</p><p>Now that Ned had brought him up, though, Peter had to admit he was pretty curious as to what the former surgeon had been up to in the last several months.</p><p>"Oh, yeah, I remember my dad saying something about that," Gwen said with a nod. "Okay… so…?"</p><p>"Well, I guess after his accident, he kinda went nuts trying to find a cure for the nerve damage in his hands. Ended up selling just about everything he owned to try some really weird treatments," said Ned. "And then one day he just up and disappeared. My mom's friend thought he was dead until she saw him again."</p><p>"So… what, did she go up and ask him for his autograph or something?" asked Peter. "How'd she even know it was him?"</p><p>"Oh, I'm pretty sure this lady's got a crush on him or something," said Ned. "And she thought it was weird that he was just walking around the city like nothing had happened after being gone for months. She thought she would've heard that he was back in town."</p><p>"Okay, but why," Peter asked. "Just 'cause he's rich? Did people use to report on his comings and goings on a regular basis?"</p><p>"Well, probably," Ned said with a frown. "I mean, people report on you and your dads' comings and goings all the time, you just don't notice it." He paused as he settled into his seat in the classroom, turning around to glare at Peter. "And anyway, what the hell's with you today? You're usually not this moody so early on, did something happen on the way here or something?"</p><p>Peter shook his head as he took his seat, tugging his hoodie sleeves down over his cold hands. "I'm just tired, Ned, sorry. It was kind of a busy day at my house yesterday."</p><p>"Oh. Was it 'cause of what happened in Africa?" Ned asked. "My mom saw it on the news."</p><p>"Yeah, mostly."</p><p>"Ah. So, is Thor still there at the Tower too?" Uncle Thor had been Ned's favourite Avengers team member ever since the Battle of New York, and he proudly carried the paper that Uncle Thor had autographed for him after that battle pretty much everywhere.</p><p>"No, he had to go back to his home yesterday afternoon," answered Peter. "He's the King of Asgard now, so he needed to get back."</p><p>Ned let out a chuckle, giving Gwen an incredulous look. "It's just so weird how he does that, isn't it?"</p><p>"Huh?" said Peter. "Weird how I do what?"</p><p>"How you can talk about a literal god like he's just your goofy uncle or something," said Ned.</p><p>Peter blinked. "Well, he kinda is. I mean, you've met him. Uncle Thor is pretty goofy."</p><p>"Yeah, but he's not just some uncle, he's <em>Thor.</em> You know, the <em>god</em> of <em>thunder."</em> Ned scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I mean, my one uncle's a tax attorney, and my other one manages a Target out in Hawaii. Not exactly all that exciting, you know?"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, I get it," muttered Peter.</p><p>"Sometimes exciting isn't all it's cracked up to be though," said Gwen, almost like she'd read Peter's mind. "I mean, I know my dad's not an Avenger, but he still has his fair share of shall we say, <em>interesting</em> days. There's a lot of times that I wish his job was more boring than it is, and so does my mom."</p><p>"Oh," Ned said. "Well, I can understand that. Well, maybe he should ask Thor to join the police force?"</p><p>The arrival of their homeroom teacher saved Gwen from having to answer, and Peter shot her a grateful smile as the teacher began reading the morning announcements, reminding the class that school pictures were being taken the following week. Peter realised that he could sometimes seem a bit two-faced when he could lament his family's crazy lifestyle at the same time as he wished he could join in on it more, but thankfully Gwen seemed to understand.</p><p>Which made the possibility of her leaving him next summer to go to England seem all that much worse.</p><p>Unfortunately, not even Gwen's immeasurable understanding was enough to get Peter through his school day unscathed. Not only did he manage to snap one of the arms off of his favourite pair of glasses during Physics, earning an obnoxious guffaw from Flash Thompson, he also accidentally broke one of the faucet handles in the locker room after gym and only remembered to pack half the amount of snacks that he needed, forcing Gwen to ask her father to stop at a convenience store on the way to their house after practise so he could buy something to eat.</p><p>"You know, my mom's making fried chicken and mashed potatoes for us," Gwen said as Peter ripped open his third bag of Doritos. They were sitting on the floor of her bedroom, a three thousand piece Harry Potter puzzle scattered in front of them. "And I made sure to remind her about the peppermint."</p><p>"Ugh," Peter said, scrunching his nose at the memory of that awful night as he folded the top of his chip bag, licking the orange Dorito dust from his fingers. He had absolutely no desire to ever repeat that incident. Puking his guts out after eating a homemade dessert was not exactly the best way to endear himself to his girlfriend's family.</p><p>He was actually still surprised that Dad had agreed to allow him back into the Stacy home after that. Of course, Chief Stacy did assist with Papa's rescue from the HYDRA bunker, so there was that. Dad had also recently extended the range of the Tower's defence drones to reach Gwen's house, which, combined with the two security guards stationed outside by the front steps, was probably just enough to keep Dad calm enough to get through the Avengers' debriefing.</p><p>Resting his chin on his arms, Peter studied the puzzle, finally connecting a piece of one of Hedwig's wings. He was reaching for another when Gwen's fingers closed over his wrist, halting him.</p><p>"Peter, can you please tell me what's wrong?" she asked, in that quiet, semi-raspy voice that reminded him a bit of Auntie Nat. "I mean, I know your papa almost got hurt and stuff again, but you've been… I don't know, extra weird ever since school started, and I don't—I just don't know why." She trailed her thumb across the back of Peter's hand, sending goosebumps pebbling up his arm. "And I don't—I don't know how to help you."</p><p>Peter let out a heavy sigh. "I'm not asking you to help me," he said. "Just—"</p><p>"Just… what, keep telling you what you want to hear?" Gwen asked. "Is that it? You want me to keep telling you that it's perfectly fine for you to keep begging your dads to let you join the Avengers, when in reality you're still only sixteen years old and can barely get through a school day without breaking something? You want me to keep telling you that it's completely normal for you to ditch me at the school dance just so you can run off to freaking <em>Georgia</em>, for goodness sake, and rescue Captain America from some invisible building? The very same invisible building where he'd been taken prisoner by the Nazi organisation that's been around since World War II, and that had managed to completely infiltrate our government and law enforcement agencies? Is that it?"</p><p>A knot rose in Peter's throat, and he tore his gaze away, unable to look at her. She was right, and he knew it. But that didn't mean he had to admit it out loud.</p><p>"Gwen—"</p><p>"And when I'm not telling you that stuff, I'm just supposed to sit here and listen while you complain about it? And then just nod and tell you it's normal?" Gwen continued. "Is that what I'm supposed to do? Well, I hate to say it, Peter, but I don't think I can do that. Because it's not normal. None of it is."</p><p>"I never said it was normal!" Peter snapped, throwing a quick glance at Gwen's partially opened door. When no footsteps came running to investigate, he sucked in a deep breath, squeezing his hands into fists as he tried to calm down. "I never said any of this was normal. My family's about as not-normal as you can get, but hey, most of the time I just roll with it. But tell me this: if it'd been your dad that HYDRA had taken, and you knew they were doing horrible things to him, and you also knew that you could help him, but that if you told anyone else it would put all of the rest of them in danger, wouldn't you have done the same thing?"</p><p>"No, I wouldn't have," Gwen said firmly. "Because no matter what you might still think, going down to that place alone was not the right choice. You could've been captured, or—or killed, and then who would've known how to find you, hmm? You were gonna leave the dance without even saying goodbye to me, Peter, so how would I have known where you'd gone? And you can't tell me that your dad, or your papa, or any of the rest of the Avengers have ever gone anywhere by themselves, right? No, because they haven't. They always go as a team."</p><p>Peter dropped his head onto his arms, groaning into the sleeve of his hoodie. It was like Gwen was <em>trying </em>to channel Papa, and doing a scarily remarkable job of it.</p><p>"<em>We always go as a team, little guy. We never go on any mission alone, all right? Our individual skills and strengths are amplified when we all work together."</em></p><p>It didn't help that Peter had never told Gwen that he'd actually got captured down in that Georgia prison, and that he'd had to beg Wanda Maximoff to help him escape before Dad and the rest of the team got there.</p><p>He felt Gwen's fingers on his cheek, tilting his head up to look at her. "Can you at least acknowledge what I'm saying?"</p><p>Tears stung Peter's eyes as he studied Gwen's beautiful face, etched in concern. "You—you don't know everything that happened down there," he whispered. "I never told you, 'cause—'cause I didn't wanna scare you, but—"</p><p>"Okay, so, you know you don't have to worry about scaring me, right?" Gwen cut in. "My dad's a police chief, Peter, and I've already lived through a bunch of the same stuff that you have, so… I doubt whatever you saw down there is much different."</p><p>"Well, you're wrong," Peter said. He swiped at an errant tear that managed to escape, swallowing hard. "This wasn't the same as the Battle of New York, or that fire monster that attacked us in the movie theatre. This was… oh God, Gwen, this was…"</p><p>"Shh," Gwen whispered. "It's okay, you can tell me."</p><p>Peter breathed in, meeting Gwen's exquisite green eyes. "After I broke into the building and managed to find Papa, well, he was in really rough shape. He could barely walk, so I was trying to drag him along with me so we could get out of there, and then—" He broke off, sniffing as another tear snaked down his cheek. "And then the entire room suddenly flashed red, and I got hit with this… vision. It was Wanda. They—HYDRA was forcing her to use her powers to make all of their prisoners see horrible things, as a way to control them. She'd already done it to Papa a bunch of times, it's why he didn't hardly recognise my dad when he first saw him. And then—all of a sudden, I heard you. You were screaming my name, screaming for me to help you. And I could still hear my papa in the background, but it was like he was under water or something, 'cause he sounded really far away and all I could focus on was you. And you were standing on some kind of ledge, and I was trying to get to you, but then—oh God, Gwen, I watched you tip over the edge, and I tried—I tried to catch you. I shot out my web, and it caught you, but I—I wasn't fast enough, and you—you—"</p><p>"Okay, stop," Gwen said, shaky and low. "Please, just… you don't have to say it, okay? I get it."</p><p>"No, I don't think you do," Peter insisted. He scrambled to sit up, reaching for Gwen's face. "You <em>died, </em>Gwen. You died right there in front of me, and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. I failed you!"</p><p>"But it wasn't real, Peter!" Gwen said. She pressed her palm over his hand, tilting her head to meet his eyes. "Look at me! I'm right here!"</p><p>"Yeah, I know you are, but—"</p><p>"But, what?" Gwen exclaimed. "Peter, it wasn't real! What you saw, it was just some spell! Like you said!"</p><p>"I know that!" Peter yelped. He shot to his feet, fighting the urge to stomp as he started to pace around Gwen's tiny bedroom. "But then my papa goes to Africa and gets attacked by one of the very same assholes who just spent an entire month torturing him, and as he's attacking him, he starts taunting him by saying that I'm just some scrawny kid who's afraid of my own shadow. But I'm <em>not!</em> I'm Spider-Man, damnit! I can do amazing things that no one else can do, and I could prove it to them if they'd only let me!"</p><p>"But you don't need to prove anything to them!" Gwen exclaimed as she pushed herself up, grabbing Peter's hand. "Peter, you're up there at the Compound practising with them almost every single weekend, so I promise you that your dads know what you can do. But what they also know, is that they've both been to hell and back multiple times, and that neither one of them would ever want anything like that to happen to you. Your dads love you, and good parents who love their kids don't try to put their kids into situations where they could get hurt. Or worse."</p><p>Peter's lower lip shook as he tried to turn away, held fast by Gwen's hand. He knew she was right, but since it wasn't at all what he'd wanted to hear, he also didn't want to admit it in front of her.</p><p>"Gwen, I—" Peter started, cut off by the sudden shriek of one of her younger brothers.</p><p>"Gwen! Peter! Dinner's ready!" he called from the foot of the stairs, the youngest one from the pitch of his voice. "Mom says it's time to come down now!"</p><p>Gwen let out a sigh, brushing her thumb across Peter's knuckles. "Well, I guess it's time to eat now."</p><p>"Yeah," Peter said. He curled his arms around her waist, ducking his head so he could kiss her. With him up at the Compound every weekend, they didn't get very many opportunities to do things together outside of school, and he had been looking forward to this evening for the entire day, in spite of the reasons for it.</p><p>"Thank you," he whispered once they broke apart, their foreheads pressed together. "And I'm sorry I've been such a jerk lately."</p><p>"You haven't been a jerk," Gwen murmured. "Just a bit… broody. You're much cuter when you smile." Peter let out a chuckle, his smile widening when Gwen laughed. "There, you see? Isn't that better?"</p><p>"Yeah, it's better." Peter pecked her lips again before drawing her in for a big hug, inhaling the sweet lavender scent of her hair. "We need to do stuff like this more often."</p><p>"I agree," Gwen said into his shoulder. "Do you think your dads would go for it?"</p><p>"I'll ask, okay?" Being at Gwen's house surrounded by her parents and very noisy brothers wasn't exactly Peter's first choice for spending time with her, but it was still better than nothing.</p><p>He was just leaning down for another kiss when Gwen's door flew open, so hard that it bounced off the opposite wall. Peter let out a squeak as he jumped back, whipping his arms from Gwen so fast that she stumbled forward.</p><p>"Didn't you guys hear me?" Gwen's youngest brother demanded, a deep frown on his face. "Mom's got dinner ready!"</p><p>"I'm pretty sure the entire neighbourhood just heard you," Gwen said with a frown. "And I was just helping Peter pack up his books."</p><p>The little boy narrowed his eyes, glancing around Gwen at Peter's scattered schoolbooks and unzipped backpack. "Yeah, sure," he said. "Is that why your cheeks are all pink too?"</p><p>"Okay, that's it," Gwen said, playfully swatting him on the back. "Go wash your hands, they're filthy."</p><p>"But I already did!" whined her brother, holding up his soaking wet hands that were still covered in smudges of dirt. "See?"</p><p>"Ah huh. And did you use soap?"</p><p>The little boy winced, looked down at his hands, and quickly scurried from the room.</p><p>"Wow," Peter said with wide eyes. "And I thought my house was nuts."</p><p>"Well, this is just a different kind of nuts," Gwen said with a laugh. She reached for Peter's hand. "Are you even still hungry after eating all those chips?"</p><p>Peter shot her one of his <em>duh </em>looks. "Ah, yeah. I'm pretty much always hungry."</p><p>Peppermint-laced cake aside, Mrs Stacy was an excellent cook, and her fried chicken and seasoned mashed potatoes were almost as good as Uncle Sam's. Between passing the salt shaker back and forth and dodging flying splashes of milk from the boys, Peter ate his fill, so that by the time Dad texted to tell him that he and Papa were on their way, he was feeling much better.</p><p>"So, you're not gonna forget what I said as soon as you get home now, right?" Gwen asked as they sat down on her front steps. She tugged on their clasped hands, drawing Peter's attention away from his study of the flickering light patterns on the distant buildings. "Peter?"</p><p>"No, I'm not gonna forget," he replied. <em>That still doesn't mean I agree though.</em></p><p>"Good," Gwen said, just as a horn honked a few metres away. It was Papa's truck, double-parked on the busy street. "Well, I guess it's time for you to go."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess it is." Peter gave her hand a final squeeze before gathering up his backpack. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"</p><p>"Yep. I'll be there."</p><p>"Good evening, Miss Stacy," Dad said through the passenger window as they approached the truck. "Thanks for keeping Pete in one piece for us."</p><p>"Hi, Mr Stark," Gwen said. She peeked past Dad to wave at Papa. "Hello, Captain Rogers."</p><p>"It's nice to see you, Gwen," said Papa. "Be sure and tell your parents thank you from us, okay?"</p><p>"I sure will."</p><p>A loud <em>honk </em>from behind the truck caused Peter to jump, and he scrambled to open the door, practically diving into the backseat. He was tired enough now that even with his glasses and earplugs, his senses were quickly approaching overload.</p><p>"Bye," he called to Gwen as the truck pulled away. As soon as she was out of sight he slumped back against the seat, closing his eyes.</p><p>"You okay, Pete?" Dad asked.</p><p>"Uh huh," mumbled Peter. "Just tired."</p><p>"Well, I'm thinking that some hot cocoa sounds pretty good when we get home," said Papa. "And then it should be close enough to bedtime to call it a day, hmm?"</p><p>Peter smiled tiredly. Papa's stovetop hot cocoa was practically legendary in the Tower, and something that he never turned down.</p><p>"Mmm, yeah. Hot cocoa sounds awesome."</p><p>"Long as you've got all your homework done," said Dad.</p><p>"Yeah, it's done. Gwen and I did our homework as soon as we got to her house."</p><p>"That's my boy," Dad said proudly. "'Cause hell knows whenever I found myself at some pretty girl's house when I was sixteen, the last thing on my mind was studying."</p><p>"Dad!" Peter exclaimed as he bolted upright, his face flushing hot. "We don't—she doesn't, I mean, her entire family was there!"</p><p>"Which is exactly how it should be, little guy," Papa said in his Captain's voice. He shot Dad a goofy look before laying his hand across his knee. Papa never liked it when Dad talked about himself like that, which he only tended to do when he was especially stressed out. The debriefing must not have gone very well.</p><p>"So… is it okay to ask how things went up at the Compound today?" Peter tentatively asked.</p><p>Dad let out a loud groan, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Nah, I'd really rather not talk about it, Pete. There's nothing you need to worry about anyway."</p><p>"Mmm. Fine," Peter grumbled. It sounded like he'd be using yet another of his JARVIS overrides in the next day or so, which meant he should probably start working on some new ones.</p><p>Which is exactly what he did once he got home. After downing a massive mug of Papa's hot chocolate and taking a quick shower, as soon as Dad and Papa exited his room after tucking him in, Peter pulled out his two networked laptops and got to work, programming his JARVIS overrides Hufflepuff ten through fifteen while his dads worked—and argued—in Dad's lab, discussing the very things they didn't want him to overhear.</p><p>Because, like it or not, there was no way Peter could just sit by and watch his family suffer through yet another massive fight threat hanging over their heads. Not when he'd almost lost his Papa during the last one.</p><p>The Avengers were supposed to fight the battles that regular people couldn't, and since Peter was in no way a regular person, that meant he had an obligation to help.</p><p>Otherwise, the bad guys would win. And that was something he simply could not allow.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>The air was still all around Tony, as though the barren space rock was holding its breath, waiting for some signal to slam the final hammered blow down onto his head. The battle, if one could actually call the ass-whipping they'd just received an actual battle, had been short and swift, and now all he and Peter could do was stand there and wait, surrounded by some group of idiots they'd met only moments ago. Wait for what, Tony had no idea, but the feeling of impending doom that was threatening to crush him seemed to imply that whatever it was, was something unbelievably horrible.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Which meant that he needed to get Peter out of there, and as quickly as possible. He knew that Steve had to be going mad with worry for their son, which would only hinder his ability to lead his own ongoing fight. But with no way for Tony to contact Steve to let him know that Peter was with him, there was nothing Tony could do about it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And it was that, the feeling of pure helplessness, that was the absolute worst part of it all. All of their planning and plotting, everything that he and the rest of the team had done to try and stave off the worst, had all been for nothing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Because the army from space had come anyway, and it had won. Swiftly and decisively.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Or at least, it had won on Tony's front, wherever it was.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A speck of dust flew into his eye then, and he dropped his head, impatiently swiping at it as a strange sound suddenly filled his ears, something like the rustling of dry leaves across a sidewalk. He looked up, gasping in shock as he realised that two of the four people he and Peter had been battling with had somehow vanished, transformed into the very dust that was settling into his eyes as though it was aiming for them.</em>
</p><p>"<em>What the—?" he said as he whipped around, searching for some obvious cause of their disappearances, when he heard another sound, one that caused his belly to drop to his knees.</em></p><p>"<em>Dad?" Peter said, his sweet voice quivering in fear. Tony hadn't heard him that scared since HYDRA had taken Steve away, yet another time when Tony had had no words with which to comfort him.</em></p><p>"<em>I'm here, bud," he forced past his bone-dry throat. Slowly, Tony turned towards his son, holding his arms out to him as he stepped forward. "It's okay, Pete. I'm here."</em></p><p>
  <em>But Peter shook his head as he held his hand up in front of him, his huge eyes going even wider as he noticed the tiny bits of dust flying from it.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Dad, I think—um… I don't—I don't feel so good. I'm—I'm—"</em></p><p>"<em>No, no, you're all right," Tony said as he quickly enveloped Peter in his arms, tucking his head down under his chin. It was the same thing he always said to Peter whenever he was sick, as a reminder that he would be all right, because Tony loved him and was with him. "It's okay, bud. I've got you."</em></p><p>"<em>But—but, Dad," Peter gasped, his entire body shaking in Tony's arms. "I'm not—something's—I don't—I don't know what's happening, and—"</em></p><p>
  <em>He cried out as his legs suddenly gave way, pulling hard on Tony's shoulders. Carefully, Tony lowered him to the barren ground, scanning up and down his son's body with his heart in his throat, his blood running cold as he realised that Peter's feet were no longer there.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>No! Tony screamed inside his mind, the very same thing he'd screamed out in the middle of that godforsaken Afghanistan desert five years ago. Oh God, please, don't take him! Don't take him from me!</em>
</p><p>"<em>Pete," Tony managed to choke. He was flat-out refusing to believe what his eyes were trying to tell him. "It's gonna be okay, bud. You've just gotta hold on—"</em></p><p>"<em>Daddy!" Peter shrieked, now clawing desperately at Tony's shoulders with his disintegrating fingers. "Daddy, please, help me! I don't wanna go! I don't wanna go!"</em></p><p>"<em>No, no, no, no, no!" Tony was full-on panicking now, his lungs so tight he could barely breathe. "You're all right, buddy, it's gonna be okay! Papa's gonna show up any second now, and—"</em></p><p>
  <em>Because any second now, Steve would show up. He would appear as if out of nowhere right over those huge piles of debris in the distance and save his precious boy's life, just like he did in Afghanistan.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Daddy," Peter whispered as he brought his hand up to cup Tony's cheek, right before it blew apart into a gust of ashes. "Daddy, I'm—I'm sorry. I love—I love—"</em></p><p>
  <em>And then, before Tony could reply, or even blink, he was gone.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Oh God!" Tony rasped, unable to stop himself from pitching forward, right into the ashes that Peter had left behind. All the air around him suddenly felt like it was burning, like he'd been transported to the volcanic planet in Star Wars. "Oh—oh God, no! No, please, don't take him from me! Please!" He let out an agonising moan, as if the long-removed shrapnel had somehow managed to return to his chest, tearing its way through his mangled heart in a renewed attempt to kill him.</em></p><p>"<em>Please! Please, don't take him! He's the best of us, I can't—we can't—! We can't live without him!"</em></p><p>
  <em>I can't live without him.</em>
</p><p>"No!" Tony screamed as he bolted upright, sweating and panting into the semi-darkness of the bedroom. "Oh God, no, you can't—I'm not gonna let you take—!"</p><p>"Tony!" Steve said sharply, startling Tony as he wrapped his arms around his rigid body, pulling him tightly against his chest. Tony tried to fight him at first, not quite awake enough to understand what was going on until he felt Steve's fingers weave into his hair and his warm breath on his ear. "Shh, sweetheart, it's okay. It's okay, I've got you."</p><p>"No, it's not!" shrieked Tony, still struggling against Steve's ironclad grip. "They've got him! Steve, they—they took him from me!"</p><p>"Shh, mo grá," Steve whispered as he pressed his fingertips into Tony's scalp. "It's okay, sweetheart. It was only a bad dream."</p><p>"Oh, Christ," Tony moaned as Steve hit a particularly sensitive spot on the back of his head. He shivered as a cold sweat broke out across his body, winding his arms around Steve as tightly as he possibly could. "Steve, where's—is he—are you <em>sure</em> he's—?"</p><p>"JARVIS, is Peter all right?" Steve asked, brushing soft kisses across Tony's temple and forehead.</p><p>"Master Peter is sleeping peacefully, Captain," answered JARVIS. "His vital signs are all within his normal parameters."</p><p>"There, see?" Steve said. He cupped Tony's face, pressing a slow kiss to his forehead. "Peter's fine, sweetheart. It was just a dream."</p><p>Tony nodded, sucking in a slow, deep breath. Steve was right. Peter was fine. It'd just been a bad dream.</p><p>A really fucking <em>awful </em>bad dream.</p><p>But one that could still come true, if he wasn't prepared.</p><p>"Steve," he said as he looked into the concerned blue eyes of his husband. "I need—I need to get to the lab—"</p><p>"No, what you need is to go back to sleep, sweetheart," Steve said, gently but firmly. "You're exhausted, and there's nothing in the lab that can't wait until morning."</p><p>"No, no, you don't understand," Tony insisted, shaking his head. He pushed against Steve's chest, grunting in annoyance when Steve's arms held him fast. "I can't—I need to get my suit finished, and then I need to get working on yours, and then—"</p><p>"Tony, it's almost three in the morning," Steve said. "It can wait until after we bring Peter to school."</p><p>"No, it fucking <em>can't!"</em> Tony yelled, his heart lurching when Steve flinched. "It just can't, okay! I don't give a damn what Fury said, I need to get this done! Because if I don't, then—oh God, Steve, if I don't, then—"</p><p>"All right, Tony, all right," Steve said. He let out a heavy sigh, pressing another kiss to his temple. "Then we'll both go, okay?"</p><p>Tony shot him a frown. "I don't need you to babysit me. I'm perfectly capable with—"</p><p>"I'm not trying to babysit you," Steve cut in. "I just… don't want you to be alone right now, okay?"</p><p>"Argh," Tony groaned, thudding his forehead against Steve's shoulder. The last thing Steve needed was to be up at all hours of the night when he was still trying to recover from his Namibia skirmish, but Tony was not in the mood to argue with him.</p><p>
  <em>Damn stubborn soldier.</em>
</p><p>"Fine," he finally said. He looked up at his husband's gorgeous face, attempting to bat his eyelashes. "You wouldn't happen to be interested in making me some coffee then, would you?"</p><p>"I suppose I can do that," Steve said after a short pause. He pecked the tip of Tony's nose before reaching down over the side of the bed for their discarded t-shirts, handing Tony his. "I'll meet you in the lab, okay?"</p><p>"Yeah." Tony rubbed at his scratchy eyes as Steve got up from the bed, pulling on his t-shirt as he shuffled barefoot out of the room. His heart was still racing, with pain radiating from his left forearm up to his shoulder and across his chest, almost like he was being electrocuted. Helen Cho had explained that he had likely sustained some nerve damage the time he got knocked by the fighter jet somewhere over Afghanistan way back when, but Tony didn't have time to dwell on his pain now. He needed to get ready for what lay ahead.</p><p>Making his way to his lab, Tony retrieved the nanite case he'd finished constructing while Steve was down in Namibia and pressed it onto his chest over his t-shirt. He had designed the case to adhere to both fabrics and skin, and was currently trying to figure out which option he preferred.</p><p>"All right, J, we're gonna run a full test here," he said. "Nanotech armour."</p><p>"Shall I ensure that the suit's weapons are in test-mode, sir?" JARVIS asked. "Or do you wish to give DUM-E a workout this morning."</p><p>"No, no, test-mode is fine," Tony said, winking as DUM-E let out a sort of worried beep. Aside from the mess, he was getting tired of constantly having to repair sections of his lab. "Are ya ready?"</p><p>"As always, sir."</p><p>"Gotcha." Squaring his shoulders, Tony looked down at the storage case, tucking his t-shirt into his sleep pants at the last minute. No need to be worrying about bunched-up fabric while testing out a new suit. "All right, here we go."</p><p>Tapping the case twice with his fingertips, Tony stood perfectly still as the nanites emerged, easing across his chest and down his arms like hot syrup spreading over a stack of Steve's homemade pancakes. They were warm, with just the slightest of tingling sensations as they formed Tony's helmet and facemask, finally closing over his fingers and toes. Once he was fully encased, he looked down, giving his feet an experimental wiggle. From what he could tell, everything looked good.</p><p>"Okay, J?" he asked, barely moving his mouth. "Are we good here?"</p><p>"It does appear so, sir," answered JARVIS. "I am currently detecting no anomalies."</p><p>"All right," Tony said proudly. Slowly, he raised his right hand, splaying his fingers just as Steve entered the lab, carrying two steaming cups of coffee.</p><p>"Might wanna get behind me, honey," he said. "I'm about to run a test on the repulsors."</p><p>"Thanks for the warning," Steve replied. Tony knew he still got a bit jumpy whenever he heard Tony's repulsors go off in the lab. Tony had adjusted their sound frequency once Steve admitted that they reminded him of the HYDRA weapons he'd fought against during the war, but with Steve's super-sensitive ears there was only so much he could do.</p><p>"And we are in test-mode, right J?" Tony asked, licking his lips. Despite the circumstances, he was almost as excited as he'd been when he'd built his very first suit.</p><p>"We are indeed, sir."</p><p>"Ah huh," whispered Tony as he aimed his repulsor, targeting one of his monitors. He felt the suit power up and the targeting system take aim, waiting for his command.</p><p>Three heartbeats later, he planted his feet, and gave it.</p><p>
  <em>Fire.</em>
</p><p>A bright blue light flashed from his palm, indicating a direct and destructive hit. Immediately, Tony pivoted, aiming another shot towards the floor-to-ceiling windows lining one half of the lab. <em>Fire.</em></p><p>The light flashed again, another direct hit. Over and over, every single command that popped into Tony's mind, the suit obeyed. From forming whatever defensive and offensive weapon he could think of to constructing protective shields and barriers in a fraction of a second, in over ten minutes of continuous testing, the suit didn't make one single mistake.</p><p>"Woohoo!" Tony yelled triumphantly as he turned to Steve, the helmet retracting from his head. "Did you see that?"</p><p>"I saw all of it," Steve said, a wide grin on his handsome face. "Looks like you did it, sweetheart."</p><p>"Yep. 'Bout damn time too." Tony glanced down at his chest, watching as the nanites began to flow back into their storage case. "I'll give it a real test run this weekend, yeah?"</p><p>"That's fine with me." Steve stepped forward, curling his arms around Tony's waist as he pressed a firm kiss to his lips. "Do you wanna try and go back to sleep now?"</p><p>"No way," Tony said rapidly, earning a frown in return. He brought his hands up to rest on Steve's biceps, giving them a light squeeze. "We need to get started on your suit now."</p><p>Steve's face fell, enhancing the deep worry wrinkle between his eyebrows. "Tony, we've talked about this multiple times. I said that I didn't—"</p><p>"And I've told <em>you </em>that you don't get a say in this," Tony snapped as he tore himself away, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, honey, I know that sounds, well… <em>bad, </em>but please, just let me try, okay?"</p><p>"Tony—"</p><p>"Look, I promise that if you don't end up liking it, I won't make you wear it. But I am almost a hundred percent sure that you will. Yours and Pete's suits are both about as different from mine as you can get, and I'm still making one for him."</p><p>"That's different, and you know it," said Steve.</p><p>"No, it's really not," Tony shot back. "How many times have you had your shield bounce away from you during a fight, hmm? It even happened again while you were in Africa, Steve, I heard it! Well, with this kind of suit, something like that were to happen, you'd be able to form a new shield that'd be almost as strong as your actual one, giving you that much more protection." He let out a frustrated growl, raking his hand through his hair. "Honey, I just don't think I can handle listening to you getting shot at anymore. I just—I can't do it. I've almost lost you too many times. You and Pete both, and I just can't do that again."</p><p>Steve sniffed as he gathered Tony close again, rubbing soothing circles on his back. "Sweetheart, you're not gonna lose either of us. I promise."</p><p>"But you can't promise that, honey. No one can," Tony whispered. "Which is why I'm gonna make sure that when that space army does finally come knocking on our door, we're as ready as possible."</p><p>
  <em>I'm gonna be as ready as possible.</em>
</p><p>"Tony, the chances of that happening are—"</p><p>"Nope. You know that I don't give a <em>damn </em>that Fury's fucking analysts only calculated a three point four seven chance of another space attack, or whatever the hell it was that Fury said. I still believe that an attack is imminent, and that we, as a team, need to be prepared for it."</p><p>"And you know that I agree with you, mo grá," Steve said carefully. "And so do the rest of us. Director Fury never said that we shouldn't be prepared, just that it's… unlikely."</p><p>"Okay, and part of that preparation includes the very best uniforms and equipment that I can come up with," said Tony. "And for you, me, and Pete, that includes nanotech uniforms."</p><p>Steve pursed his lips, shaking his head. "You're not gonna let this go, are you?"</p><p>"Nope," Tony stated. "Not till I get you into a nanotech suit."</p><p>"All right, all right," Steve said, rather resignedly. "I'll try it out."</p><p>A smile of relief stretched across Tony's lips. "That's more like it," he said as he tipped his head, pressing a slow kiss to the underside of Steve's jaw. Steve shivered in response, and Tony let out a soft chuckle. The successful test of his new armour had managed to ward away the last lingering heebie jeebies from his nightmare, at least for the moment, and now he couldn't help but notice that he had his insanely hot husband in his arms, wearing nothing but a thin pair of sleep pants and a t-shirt that showed off his deliciously firm pecs and abs to perfection.</p><p>"Tony," Steve warned when Tony kissed that same spot again, smirking against Steve's jaw when he let out a soft moan. "What're you doing?"</p><p>"Well, <em>Captain,"</em> he said, waggling his eyebrows. "You know in order to get the nanite template as accurate as possible, JARVIS has to scan you."</p><p>"Okay, so? JARVIS has scanned me a few times before."</p><p>"Naked," Tony added. He glided his fingers down Steve's neck to his right pec, brushing his thumb across his nipple as his lips attacked Steve's throat, kissing and nibbling across his Adam's apple. "It's the only way to get a completely accurate scan."</p><p>"Somehow, I'm not quite sure that I believe you," Steve said, gasping when Tony sucked hard on the fragile skin of his pulse point, marking him. It would fade by morning, as they always did, but Tony still loved to see them on Steve's smooth, pale skin.</p><p>"It doesn't matter if you believe me or not," Tony said as he slipped his fingers underneath Steve's waistband, palming his glorious ass. His breath hitched as Steve shuddered, right before Steve's hands suddenly slid down Tony's body to his thighs, hoisting him into his arms.</p><p>"I'm pretty sure we can both play at this game, sweetheart," Steve said as he claimed Tony's lips. The kiss was hot, wet, and sloppy as he carried Tony over to the couch against the far wall, depositing him down in a tangle of limbs as he ordered JARVIS to lock down the lab.</p><p>"Yes," whispered Tony as he peeled Steve's t-shirt up his back with a light scrape of his fingernails, tossing it somewhere off to the side as their lips met and their legs intertwined, with Steve's already rock-hard erection pressing insistently into Tony's hip.</p><p>"You know, this was not part of my plan," Steve said as he practically ripped Tony's shirt from his body, dipping his head to trail kisses all across the scars littering Tony's sternum, framed by the chain that held Steve's dog tags. "You're just incorrigible. You know that, right? What am I going to do with you?"</p><p>"It's why you love me, honey," Tony said, moaning as he hiked his legs up, hooking his knees over Steve's hips as Steve pressed him further into the cushions. His mind was already swimming with sensation, his hands taking on a mind of their own as they glided over Steve's soft skin and hard muscles. "<em>Steve, </em>baby, I need—I need—"</p><p>"More," Steve said, grunting as he suddenly sat back, pulling off both their pants before guiding Tony onto his lap. Tony threw his head back as their cocks aligned and rubbed together, the pleasure already building deep in his gut. "Teastaíonn do bhéal. Teastaíonn do lámha uait. Teastaíonn <em>uait."</em></p><p>"Shit, baby, you're just too damn sexy for words." Tony cupped Steve's face in one hand, bringing their lips together in another deep kiss as his other hand curled around their cocks, stroking them together. "More?"</p><p>"Yes," Steve whispered, pleading with his lust-blown eyes as he rolled his hips against Tony's. "Please. Teastaíonn níos mó uaim!"</p><p>Tony grinned, pecking Steve's kiss-swollen lips again before sliding off his lap and hurrying over to his workstation. He and Steve had had sex in the lab often enough that Tony now made sure to keep at least one bottle of lube in there at all times, especially after he got caught in the hallway once by Peter during one of his middle-of-the-night snack runs. Grabbing the bottle he found in his top drawer, Tony squirted some into his palm and dropped to his knees in front of Steve, slowly stroking him as he trailed his lips along the inside of his thighs, sucking more marks into his skin.</p><p>"More," Steve said as he wove his fingers through Tony's hair, his wedding ring pressing into Tony's scalp. "Please, mo grá, I need—"</p><p>He cut off with a loud groan as Tony took Steve's cock into his mouth, wrapping his slick fingers around the base as he took him as far as he could. Steve was big, and not even Tony could deep-throat him for long, but by the way Steve was gasping and shuddering above him, he didn't seem to care.</p><p>And <em>damn, </em>was it a sight to behold. As far as Tony was concerned, there was nothing more beautiful in the entire universe than the sight of Steve's gorgeous face twisted in the throes of pleasure.</p><p>Pleasure that Tony gave him.</p><p>"Tony, your <em>mouth," </em>Steve choked out, completely wrecked as he gave Tony's hair a hard yank. "Sweetheart, I'm gonna—"</p><p>And then Steve's entire body went taught, his legs shaking around Tony as he came so hard that Tony had to palm himself to help stave off his own climax.</p><p>"That's right, baby," Tony whispered once he pulled off, slowly kissing his way back up Steve's sweat-dampened body. "You needed that, hmm?"</p><p>Steve was panting, his head tipped back against the couch and his blond hair plastered to his forehead as he nodded once, curling his arms around Tony.</p><p>"Yes," he whispered as he opened one eye, giving Tony a crooked smile. "Now, what about you?"</p><p>Tony grinned as he brushed Steve's soaked bangs from his forehead. "Well… since this is your show tonight, why don't you tell me what you want, hmm?"</p><p>"Oh, it is, is it?" Steve asked, a rather mischievous gleam in his eye.</p><p>"Well, seeing as how you felt the need to carry me over here, I'd say that it is," Tony said between kisses. "So, hot stuff, what's the next part of your plan, hmm?"</p><p>"I want you to ride me," Steve said, so bluntly that Tony froze in place, his eyes nearly bulging from his head. They had been together for four years, married for two and a half, and for how often they were intimate—which was a <em>lot</em>—Steve had never, ever said something as bold as that to Tony.</p><p>"Ahh, are you—are you—holy <em>shit,</em> there's no way in hell I can say no to that," Tony managed once he regained the ability to speak. A low growl escaped from his throat as he cupped Steve's face, capturing his lips in a bruising kiss before reaching down to the floor for the bottle of lube. With shaking hands he slicked up two of his fingers, plunging them into himself as Steve curled his hand around Tony's cock, causing him to cry out.</p><p>"Not too much, babe, yeah?" he said as he worked himself open. "You've already got me so damn close from that naughty mouth of yours."</p><p>Steve grinned, almost like a predator as he took hold of Tony's hips, guiding him up. He was already hard again, as per his usual, his blown blue eyes piercing in the dim light as Tony lined him up and slowly sank down on him. He let out a soft moan once Steve was fully inside him, pleasure shooting through his body like a rocket as Steve buried his face into Tony's shoulder, his hands gliding up and down Tony's back as Tony began to move.</p><p>"Oh God, sweetheart," Steve panted, his breaths hot puffs of air on Tony's already overheated skin. "You just feel so <em>good."</em></p><p>"No, honey, nothing's too good for you," Tony said. He brushed Steve's lips in a soft kiss before squeezing his eyes closed, biting down hard on his bottom lip as Steve let out another wanton moan. "You only deserve the best."</p><p>"You're what I deserve, mo grá," Steve murmured as his fingers wrapped around Tony's cock, stroking him as another spike of heat raced across Tony's body. Whenever they fucked like this, Steve always made it a personal mission to ensure that Tony came as close to him as possible.</p><p>And Tony loved him for it.</p><p>"Tony, I'm so close," Steve said as his strokes grew more erratic, his sharp breaths even hotter as he gripped Tony's hip to the point of bruising. "Oh God, Tony, I'm gonna, I'm gonna—!"</p><p>"<em>Fuck!" </em>Tony cried as he suddenly came so hard that he nearly blacked out, clutching Steve's shoulders as he rode out the overwhelming onslaught of sensation. Then he pitched forward, practically melting against Steve's broad chest as the post-coital warm fuzzies overtook him, pulling him down into their drowsy depths. He only vaguely noticed as Steve shifted them so they were lying down, tugging the throw blanket over them as he kissed the top of Tony's head.</p><p>"Sleep now, mo grá," he whispered. "I love you."</p><p>"Mmm," Tony mumbled, barely coherent. "I'm starting to think that this was part of your plan."</p><p>He felt Steve smile against his scalp. "Whatever it takes, sweetheart."</p><p>Tony scoffed, burrowing impossibly closer. Apparently Mr Super-Strategist had struck again.</p><p>"Nice one, honey."</p><p>"Shh," Steve said, barely awake himself. "Sleep now."</p><p>"Mmm. Love you too."</p><p>And he did. Tony loved Steve more than he'd ever thought he was capable of loving anyone besides his son, and that was why he had to protect him, no matter what.</p><p>He couldn't become the man who killed the Avengers because he didn't prepare enough for what was coming.</p><p>He simply could <em>not.</em></p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em> <strong>Stop by and see me on tumblr, I’m <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geekymoviemom">geekymoviemom</a> and <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geeky-writes">geeky-writes</a> there!  😊 </strong> </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment!  Any comment will do, even if it’s just an emoji or keysmash, I appreciate them all!  💖</p><p>Saw this on another fic, so I’m borrowing it 😊:</p><p>Emoji Key for those who don't know what to say in the comments!<br/>❤ = you wish you could kudos again<br/>😭 = I got you right in the feels<br/>🔥 = this was so hot/ sweet!<br/>🐰 = it’s so fluffy!<br/>😣 = the angst is killing me!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter has a bunch of pure, domestic Avengers fluff, one of my very favourite things to write.  I hope you all enjoy it!  💖</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Cap, I've got eight more hostiles incoming to your position," Sam said as he flew overhead. "ETA about twenty seconds."</p><p>"Copy that," Steve said. He glanced back at Peter and Bucky, giving them the signal to take their positions behind the stack of debris about five metres away. The team had already managed to take down three of the twelve enemy targets originally scouted by Redwing; one by Clint, using the brand-new arrowheads that Tony had made for him, one by Pietro Maximoff, in quite impressive fashion, Steve might add, and the third by Peter, who, Steve had to admit, was performing even beyond he and Tony's wildest expectations.</p><p>Apparently the nanotech suits really did make that much of a difference. Peter's reaction time, which was already lightning-fast, seemed to be even faster with his new suit, allowing him to dodge projectiles and evade capture even as he kept up his usual running commentary. Steve and Tony had both tried to explain that verbally taunting the enemy during a battle maybe wasn't the smartest idea, but it seemed like Peter just couldn't help himself, and since it hadn't gone against him yet, they had ultimately decided to just let it go.</p><p>"Natasha?" Steve whispered over the comm. "What's your position?"</p><p>"Wanda and I have one in our sights, Cap," she replied. "Incoming about fifty metres."</p><p>"All right. As soon as you deem it safe, take the shot."</p><p>"Copy that. We've got it."</p><p>"Good. Tony?" Steve asked.</p><p>"Waiting on your order, honey," he replied as he slowed to a hover about fifteen metres over Steve's position, causing Steve to chuckle. It wasn't exactly professional to be using personal endearments out in the field, but Steve knew that it was pointless to call him out on it.</p><p>Besides, he'd been doing it for so long, ever since the Battle of New York, the team was more than used to it by now.</p><p>"All right. I want you to circle around and get behind Sam. Pietro, I need you to be watching the skies. If you see any debris looking like it's heading for one of our teammates, you get them the hell out of the way, okay?"</p><p>"Copy, Captain. I am ready," answered Pietro.</p><p>"Just make sure to actually pick 'em up first, okay, Ro?" added Clint. "We don't want another dragging incident like the last time, right?"</p><p>"Ah, right," Pietro said after a heartbeat's pause. "I will make sure."</p><p>"Five seconds, Cap!" Sam hissed as he swooped down, swerving to his right at the very last moment. "They're all yours!"</p><p>"Now, Петр!" Bucky said as they burst from behind their barricade just as the enemy appeared on their left. Before Bucky had even gotten the words out, Peter was on his feet, launching his webs at the target's legs and yanking down, chattering nonstop about how he was going to show it who was boss. The target immediately fired its booster, attempting to break away with Peter still attached as Bucky took aim, taking it out with a single shot to its chest.</p><p>"Yeah, we got it!" exclaimed Peter as he flipped to a landing. "Way to go, Uncle Bucky!"</p><p>"We're not done yet, little guy!" Steve said as he launched his shield at the second target, catching it right in its midsection. He paused, his eyes going wide when the target continued on as if nothing had happened, ripping the shield from its body and dropping it behind another pile of wreckage at least twenty-five metres away.</p><p>"Honey!" Tony cried, repulsing away yet another target that had crept up behind Steve. Steve whipped around as the target flew backwards, crashing into the far wall. "Steve, think! Use your suit!"</p><p>With a frustrated grunt, Steve pursed his lips. <em>Shield, </em>he thought, blinking as the nanites in his left uniform sleeve quickly reformed into a near-perfect rendition of his shield, complete with a white star in the centre. He immediately raised his arm, wincing as remnants of the target Bucky destroyed rained down onto it.</p><p>"We've still got two more!" called Sam as he angled down. "Bucky, Peter, on your two o'clock!"</p><p>"Got it!" Peter said as he took off running, launching his web at the target's arm as it flew by. Steve gasped as the target used the web rope as a slingshot to try and fling Peter off, sending him flying as he yelped in surprise.</p><p>"Pete!" Steve heard Tony scream, his repulsors firing as he headed towards him. "It's okay, buddy—!"</p><p>"Yep, it is!" Peter said as he launched another web at the wall, managing to break his fall enough to drop down right next to the pile hiding Steve's shield. He quickly hefted it up, holding it in such a perfect imitation of Steve's defensive stance that Steve's breath hitched. "Papa, you ready?"</p><p>"Ready, little guy!" Steve called. He quickly scrambled up a small pile of debris as Peter drew back his arm, jumping into the air to catch the shield just as another target crashed to the ground behind him, taken out by Wanda.</p><p>"There are three left, Captain!" she said as she lifted off from the ground, using her levitation power to fly back towards her brother and Natasha.</p><p>"All right," said Steve. He grabbed onto a piece of pipe sticking out from what used to be a utility shed, pulling himself up on top of it as he scanned the area. "Tony, there's one more coming up on your three o'clock, and Clint—"</p><p>"Already on it, Cap," Clint said as he launched an arrow just as the target dove down, aiming towards him. Sparks flew as it bounced three times, shedding parts before skidding to a halt.</p><p>"Flashman, you've got incoming!" Tony cried as pieces of his target suddenly shot out in all directions. "Get 'em outta there!" In a burst of flying debris Pietro took off, gathering Natasha into his arms and disappearing.</p><p>"Whoops," Tony said as he came to a halt in midair, followed by the crash of the final target as it smashed to the ground, taken out by Sam. "Sorry 'bout that, Nat."</p><p>"Don't worry, I'll only hold it against you for a little while," Natasha replied from where Pietro had whisked her nearly a hundred metres away. "How's it looking now, Cap? Are we good?"</p><p>"I'm not seeing any remaining hostiles from up here," said Sam. "Cap?"</p><p>"I concur," Steve answered, squinting as he searched for anything they might have missed. "Looks like we got 'em all."</p><p>Just then a loud horn sounded overhead, followed by JARVIS's voice over the intercom.</p><p>"All hostiles have been accounted for, Captain," he said. "This now concludes the training session."</p><p>"Whoa!" Peter exclaimed as he landed a few metres away from Steve. "Papa, that was so awesome!"</p><p>"Yeah, well, don't thank me, little guy," said Steve. "I'm pretty sure this was one of yours and Dad's algorithms."</p><p>"Not one of mine, honey," Tony said as he landed with a <em>clank, </em>his helmet retracting into his collar. "I've sure never seen anything like this before. Those things seemed especially nasty today."</p><p>"It was ours," said Pietro as he <em>whooshed </em>to a halt next to Peter. "Peter and I worked on it together."</p><p>"But we still had JARVIS randomise stuff for us," Peter added as his mask retracted, his sweat-dampened curls springing up in all directions. "Otherwise it wouldn't have been fair."</p><p>"Indeed, Captain," said JARVIS. "I can assure you that neither of these young men were aware of the final product."</p><p>"Well, you did an exceptional job," Steve said. He patted Peter on the shoulder as his cowl retracted, momentarily surprising him. He wasn't used to not having to remove it himself. "I'm very proud of you both."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, does that mean we can go eat soon?" asked Sam as he landed next to Bucky, who was brushing dust from his metal arm. "I'm sure the turkeys are just about done, and—"</p><p>"Which means that you and I need to get into that kitchen before the boys take it over again," Natasha said to Wanda. "Otherwise, there's no telling when those pies will get done."</p><p>"And you know it's never a true Thanksgiving dinner without the pies!" shouted Clint. He winced as Natasha elbowed him in the arm, eyeing his left ear.</p><p>"Think you've got a screw rattling around in there or something, Hawkeye," she said as Clint clapped his palm over his ear.</p><p>"Oh, sorry," Clint said in a more normal voice. "Hearing aid must've gotten jostled loose."</p><p>"Eh, I'll take a look at that later, yeah?" Tony said. "Probably something I can tweak."</p><p>"Well… hell. Thanks, Tony," Clint said with wide eyes. "It really must be Thanksgiving."</p><p>Tony rolled his eyes. "You know, Barton, this is why I don't even—"</p><p>"Pardon me, Mr Wilson," JARVIS cut in. "But based on your required parameters, all six of the roasting turkeys have now reached their desired internal temperatures, making them safe for human consumption."</p><p>"Ah, but you mean normal human consumption, right JARVIS?" Sam said, laughing as he clapped Bucky on the shoulder. "'Cause I'm pretty sure the rest of these guys could eat just about anything and it wouldn't kill 'em."</p><p>"I would generally agree with you, Mr Wilson," said JARVIS. "Be advised, I have adjusted the oven temperatures to reflect this finding."</p><p>"Excellent. Don't want the birds drying out," said Sam. "That does mean that you and Wanda might wanna get going, Nat. Carving up six turkeys is gonna take up quite a bit of space."</p><p>"Yep, we're on it," said Natasha. "Just as soon as we get cleaned up."</p><p>"Steve? You're still gonna help with the mashed potatoes, right?" Sam asked. "I got about fifteen pounds of 'em already on the stove that're just waiting for a good beating."</p><p>"Just as soon as there's room in the kitchen," said Steve.</p><p>"Well, as long as the girls don't make too big of a mess, it should be okay," Sam said, yelping as Natasha elbowed him in the side. "Damn, Nat! You've got some sharp elbows!"</p><p>"Mmm," grumbled Clint. "Tell me about it. And with that, I'm outta here. All this talk about food is making me hungry."</p><p>"We'll come with you," Natasha said as she hooked her arm through Wanda's. "Gotta make sure that you stay out of the kitchen."</p><p>"I'm gonna head back too," Peter stated as his mask closed over his face, the white adjustable eyes narrowing into playful slits as he looked over at Pietro. "Hey, Pietro. Wanna race?"</p><p><em>Oh no, </em>Steve thought as Pietro smirked, hunching down into his runner's stance.</p><p>"Anytime," he said.</p><p>"Awesome." Peter raised his right arm, aiming for the small, outcropped section of their training dome about ten metres up from the ground that Tony had dubbed the Spiders Nest, which was absolutely <em>not </em>to be confused with the Hawks Nest, otherwise known as the very same outcropping on the opposite side of the dome.</p><p>"Ready," said Pietro as Peter planted his feet. "Set… go!"</p><p>"Now, you know that's not the smartest of ideas!" Tony called as the two boys took off, holding up his hand to block the dust kicking up from Pietro's blink-and-you'll-miss-him exit. "Ah, like they'll ever listen to us."</p><p>"Nah, we're too old, or not cool enough, or some shit like that," said Bucky. "Isn't that what Петр said the other day when I asked him what the hell a vine was?"</p><p>"Aren't those the things that Tarzan swings on?" Sam asked, confused.</p><p>Bucky shrugged. "That's what I thought too, but when I asked him that, all Петр did was laugh at me. Then he showed me some stupid little video about a road work sign that he thought was funnier 'n hell, but it still didn't help."</p><p>"Aw, don't take it personally, <em>Sir Buchanan," </em>Sam said with a grin. "I mean, up till about a month ago you'd never even heard of Monty Python, so—"</p><p>"Oh, ha ha bloody ha," Bucky retorted, in such a perfect impersonation of John Cleese that Steve did a double-take. "I swear, if you say another stinking word about brave Sir Bucky, I'm gonna—"</p><p>"All right, go on and take your lovers' quarrel somewhere else, yeah?" Tony cut in. "You're starting to hurt my ears."</p><p>"What, is it not sappy enough for you, Iron Man?" Sam playfully shot back. "Not everyone can stomach being as syrupy as you two all the time. You know that, right?"</p><p>"No, Сэм, I'm pretty sure they <em>don't </em>know that," said Bucky. He shot Steve a rather sinister look. "Do ya, Стиви?"</p><p>Steve glanced over at his husband, a soft smile stretching across his lips as he reached for Tony's hand. "To each their own, I suppose."</p><p>"Ahh, whatever," Sam said. "C'mon, Sir Bucky. I'm afraid those girls won't let us anywhere near that kitchen until we smell better than we do now, so—"</p><p>"So, now you're telling me that I stink?" Bucky asked as they headed towards the shed housing the golf carts, just as Wanda, Natasha, and Clint took off towards the Compound's residential building. The nearly three-kilometre-wide training dome was situated a good kilometre away from the rest of the Compound's structures, just in case something happened to go badly wrong during one of their training exercises.</p><p>"Hoo boy," Tony said as he watched them go, trading gentle—and some not-so-gentle—barbs the entire way. "Were we ever like that?"</p><p>"I don't think we've ever stopped, sweetheart," Steve said with a laugh. He leaned down, pecking Tony quickly on the lips. "Which is just fine with me, by the way."</p><p>"Yeah, me too," Tony said softly. He smiled then, his beautiful brown eyes flicking to the white star on the middle of Steve's chest. "So? You can't leave me hanging like this, honey! What'd you think?"</p><p>Steve hesitated a moment before responding. Tony had promised him that he could build him a nanite housing unit that looked exactly like part of his regular uniforms and, true to his word, he had. To any outsider, his new suit appeared to be no different than his usual Captain America uniform.</p><p>"Well, if nothing else, you sure look damn good in it," Tony added. "Not that you ever don't, but you know what I mean."</p><p>Steve's heart gave a lurch at the tentativeness in his voice, like he was actually afraid that Steve was going to tell him that he'd hated it. Securing his shield to his back, he took hold of Tony's elbows, drawing him close.</p><p>"The suit performed beautifully, sweetheart," he said as he pressed their foreheads together. "Better than I could've hoped. I'm just—not quite used to it yet."</p><p>"Yeah, that's normal," Tony replied, his hands settling into their usual spots on Steve's biceps. "It took me a few tries to get used to mine too, and you know Pete's still working out the kinks in his, so…" He paused then, chewing nervously on his bottom lip. "You're still gonna try to get used to it though, right?"</p><p>"Yeah, I am," Steve assured him. He knew that most of his hesitation with the nanites was the fact that he felt like he wasn't quite in control of them, which was entirely his own fault. Tony had told him multiple times that the suit would perform in the exact same manner as his traditional uniforms, and he had been right. It was just Steve being stubborn, as he so often was.</p><p>"And I will get used to it. Just like I got used to computers, and microwaves, and—"</p><p>"Even though you don't ever actually use the microwave," Tony said, raising an eyebrow. "Something about not wanting your food to be blasted with radiation?"</p><p>"Because it's usually perfectly fine to just use the stove or the oven," Steve insisted. He curled his arms around Tony's waist, leaning in for what he'd intended to be a quick kiss, one that transformed into a longer, deeper one when Tony wound his arms Steve's neck, holding him in place.</p><p>"Hey, hon-ney," Tony sing-songed as they broke apart. "Wanna go take a shower with me?"</p><p>"Mmm, I think that's an excellent idea," Steve breathed, his heart already thudding against his ribcage. He tapped the star on his chest twice, watching in awe as the nanites began to flow back into the small device, leaving him standing in the undersuit that Tony had designed for him, one that closely resembled his cold-weather running clothes.</p><p>And unfortunately, did absolutely <em>nothing </em>to hide the fact that he was now very much aroused.</p><p>"Um, you might wanna rethink that there, hon," Tony murmured as he slid his hand down to palm Steve's crotch, pulling a choked gasp from Steve's throat. Steve let out a growl as he captured Tony's mouth again, nipping at his plush bottom lip as Tony tapped his ass, urging him to climb onto his armoured feet.</p><p>"Ready?" Tony whispered once Steve was settled.</p><p>"Yes," answered Steve. "Please, hurry!"</p><p>"You got it, babe," Tony said as his helmet closed over his head. "JARVIS, our suite, if you don't mind."</p><p>"Not at all, sir."</p><p>During the Compound's remodel last summer to better accommodate the Maximoffs, Tony had added a new outside entrance that led directly into their bedroom suite, allowing them just a bit more privacy in what had become quite a busy household. It was especially nice for Steve, since he usually woke up so early for his runs, and had also proved to be useful for times like this, when Steve absolutely did <em>not </em>want to be traipsing through the common living areas and hallways in his current state of need. Thanks to JARVIS, Tony's suit flew them directly up to their private door, with Steve grabbing onto Tony's undershirt just as soon as his armour started to dissolve.</p><p>"What <em>am </em>I going to do with you?" he asked as he pulled Tony inside their grand master suite. He peeled the star from his chest, tossing it onto a chair as Tony worked to rid them both of their undersuits, finally shoving him towards the bathroom as soon as they were naked.</p><p>"You're gonna stay with me for the rest of my life, and you're gonna love me," Tony said as he began trailing kisses all along Steve's neck and chest while Steve fumbled to turn on the shower. Steve caught his wrists in his hands, stopping him just long enough to get them inside, backing Tony up against the tiled wall.</p><p>"Yes," he murmured as he brought his arms up to bracket Tony's head, pressing their hips together as he leaned in. "Yes, I am. Táim chun grá a thabhairt duit go deo."</p><p>"<em>Steve," </em>Tony whispered as his arms wound around Steve's waist, his palms splayed across his ass. "Honey, you're just—"</p><p>But Steve cut him off with his mouth, kissing him hard as he slid his hand down Tony's front to curl around his cock, delighting in the visceral groan that rumbled up from Tony's chest as he rocked his hips against him.</p><p>"You're gonna make us late for dinner," Tony gasped as Steve broke away, kissing down his neck to his chest before dropping to his knees in front of him, teasing the sensitive skin of Tony's thighs and pelvis as the hot water rained down across his back and shoulders.</p><p>"Maybe," Steve murmured. As much as he hated being late to anything, it wouldn't be the first time that he and Tony had arrived late to a function, and for this very same reason. There was just something so irresistible about Tony's beautiful olive skin when it was covered in water droplets.</p><p>"<em>Ah, </em>I'm pretty sure that won't go over very well with Falcon," Tony rushed out. He let out a loud moan as Steve wrapped his lips around the tip of his cock, grabbing onto Steve's soaking wet hair. "Steve, baby, <em>please!"</em></p><p>Heat burst through Steve's body like an exploding grenade at Tony's desperate tone, and he chanced a glance up at his husband's face, nearly climaxing at the mere sight of him. With his wet-plastered hair and hooded eyes lined with those thick, inky eyelashes, the sheer beauty of him was almost overwhelming.</p><p>How did he manage to get so unbelievably lucky? He and Tony had both been through hell and back multiple times, and yet Steve firmly believed that as long as they had each other, they would be able to get through just about anything.</p><p>They were the proverbial immovable object, one that no unstoppable force held a chance against.</p><p>And there, in their luxurious shower, for the next thirty or so minutes Steve showed Tony just how precious he was to him, and how much he loved him, bringing him to climax twice by the time they were too waterlogged to continue. Not to be outdone, Tony then ordered JARVIS to initiate the sauna setting in their bathroom before pushing Steve onto the wide bench lining the wall of the shower so he could suck him off for the third time, leaving Steve so wobbly by the time he was done that he could barely walk. He only managed to regain some measure of strength when JARVIS sternly announced that Sam had been waiting for him in the kitchen for the last fifteen minutes, and that Colonel Rhodes had just arrived from D.C.</p><p>"Oops," Tony said with a giggle, still high on his own post-coital bliss. "Guess we didn't miss the dinner after all."</p><p>"No, I guess not," Steve murmured as he pulled on his jeans, tucking in his blue button-down shirt that was one of Tony's favourites. "I guess Sam and Bucky's shower didn't last quite as long as ours."</p><p>"Nope, I guess not," Tony said from where he was sprawled out on their bed, wearing only his fluffy bathrobe and looking thoroughly debauched. He let out a groan as he pushed himself up on his elbow, eyeing their closet warily. "S'pose that means I have to get dressed now, huh?"</p><p>"That might be a good idea, mo grá," Steve said as he sat down on the bed, drawing Tony into a big hug. As much as he would've liked to have stayed in bed with Tony for the rest of the day, he was looking forward to the team's Thanksgiving dinner. Aside from being happy that they were all there—except for Thor, who had sent his regards the previous day—for some reason Steve had been feeling even more sentimental than usual lately, and in the theme of the day, was looking forward to telling his teammates how grateful he was for them.</p><p>"Fine," Tony said with a playful pout. "Then I'm gonna go find Pete, make sure that he remembered to shower. Somehow I doubt that Sam would appreciate all of his hard work being ruined by a stinky teenage boy."</p><p>"Sounds good," Steve murmured into Tony's hair, which smelled so incredible that he felt himself starting to get aroused again. He pressed a quick kiss to Tony's forehead, practically tearing himself away. "Don't be too late, okay? Don't want you missing out on any of the food."</p><p>"You mean, you don't want all of you super-types to eat everything in sight before I get there?" Tony said with a chuckle. "Not to worry, <em>Captain.</em> Dare I say that after that shower, I've actually worked up a bit of an appetite."</p><p>Steve smiled, leaning in for one final kiss before escaping into the hallway, where he nearly ran smack into Peter as he came barrelling out of his room, a small, flat disc in his hand.</p><p>"Oh, sorry, Papa!" Peter said, barely breaking stride. "Uncle Sam said we've still got twenty minutes till the food's ready, so Pietro and I are gonna go play frisbee golf."</p><p>"As long as you wash your hands when you come back inside!" Steve called after him, earning a breathless, "Uh huh!" in return.</p><p>Chuckling, Steve rounded the corner into the massive kitchen, immediately stepping back as Natasha emerged from the depths of one of the ovens, a steaming pumpkin pie in her mitted hands.</p><p>"Oh, now that smells amazing," Steve said as Natasha set the pie down on a cooling rack, right next to another identical pie.</p><p>"You'd better believe it," Natasha said, winking as Wanda set a third pie down onto the rack. "I had to kick your kid out of here a few minutes ago, though. He kept begging to sample everything, all while eating an entire party-sized bag of Doritos."</p><p>"Yeah," Sam piped up from the opposite end of the counter. "Damn sneaky kid! I caught him trying to swipe one of these drumsticks right off the platter!"</p><p>"He actually did make off with one of the rolls," said Wanda, pointing to the large baking sheet next to the pies. "But at least he asked me if he could have it first."</p><p>"It was the eyes, right?" Natasha asked. "Those irresistible puppy dog eyes?"</p><p>"Yes," Wanda said with a sigh. "And now I think Pietro's starting to learn them too."</p><p>"Yep. That's my милая ошибка," Natasha said, tossing Steve a smirk. "Good thing your kid is cute, Rogers."</p><p>"Well, I'd personally take Peter's enthusiastic appetite as a compliment," said Steve. "Now, where do you need me?"</p><p>Sam jerked his head to the two huge pots of potatoes cooling on the stove. "Soon as those are mashed and the gravy's done simmering, we should be ready."</p><p>"Sounds great." Picking up the hand mixer, Steve got to work, mashing the perfectly boiled and seasoned potatoes while his teammates bantered back and forth behind him. By the time he was done and everything had been brought out to the table, set perfectly by Bucky and Bruce, Steve's cheeks were sore from smiling.</p><p>And then, as he took his seat at that table, flanked by his husband and son as he looked out onto the rest of his amazing teammates, Steve raised his bottle of his favourite Irish beer, waiting while they all took hold of their own various beverages.</p><p>"At the risk of being a bit too sentimental for this crowd, or delaying the inevitable chow-down that I'm about to witness," Steve began. "I just wanted to let all of you know how grateful I am for each and every one of you. Our jobs are hard, and I know that I ask a lot of you every time we go out into the field. But I also know that there's no way this team would be the same without any of you. Thanks to your hard work and dedication, we are a well-oiled machine, ready to take on whatever the world throws at us next." He shot a quick glance at Tony, smiling at him over his coffee mug. "To the Avengers, our team. And, like the many enemies that we've vanquished, may we leave this dinner table crying for mercy by the time we're done here."</p><p>"All right!" exclaimed Sam as he clinked his beer bottle first against Bucky's, then against Peter's can of Dr Pepper. "Now, do we finally have permission to eat, Captain? 'Cause if I have to sit here and listen to these guys' growling stomachs for too much longer, I'm gonna—"</p><p>"Okay, I'm just gonna pull rank here and go with yes," James said from his seat next to Bruce. "Seeing as how Spider Boy and Flash Boy over there are just about ready to vibrate out of their seats."</p><p>"Oh, like that's anything new," Tony said, his eyes going wide as Peter practically lunged for the nearest platter of turkey, grabbing two of the four drumsticks. The entire table fell into pleasant conversations as they ate, listening to James recap how things were going down in D.C. with the ongoing trials of the former HYDRA operatives, along with Clint and Pietro's banter over who was likely to win the football games being played later that day. Clint had even taken it upon himself to purchase season tickets to the Buffalo Bills, braving the heavy snows and piercing cold every other Sunday to spend quality time with his surrogate son, something that Steve found incredibly heartwarming. Natasha had told Steve at the beginning of the school year that Clint had never expressed any interest in children or being a father until he met Peter, and that it was his relationship with Peter that had given him the confidence he needed to agree to take in the twins.</p><p>And Steve would be forever grateful to both Clint and Natasha for agreeing to become the twins' official guardians. Given Pietro and Wanda's unique mutations, there was no telling what the government would have decided to do with them had the team not taken them in. And by having Clint and Natasha at the Compound with them full-time, it gave them the stability they needed to try and rebuild their lives.</p><p>Which, based on their exceptional grades in school and their performances during the training sessions, they were well on their way to doing just that.</p><p>Once all the food was gone and the dishes piled into the dishwashers, the team headed into the airy common living room to watch football and play chess, which eventually morphed into a massive game of Twister that soon had Steve clutching his sides at its hilarity. Peter was so flexible that he could pretty much bend in any direction, not to mention his ability to stick to any surface, while Clint had everyone else laughing so hard that he made it impossible for them to hold their positions. Eventually he, Natasha, and Bucky all collapsed into a giant heap of limbs, allowing Peter to emerge victorious once again.</p><p>By the time all the football games and chess matches were over and every single last crumb of pie had been eaten—and the refrigerator raided of leftovers no less than three times—Peter was so exhausted that Steve practically had to carry him to his room. After Tony helped him into his pyjamas and coached him through brushing his teeth, they tucked him into his bed, reminding him that he would be going Black Friday shopping with Natasha, Bucky, and Sam in the morning.</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter mumbled as Steve brushed the curls from his forehead, leaning down to kiss him. "'Night, Papa."</p><p>"Goodnight, little guy," Steve whispered. "I love you."</p><p>Steve's heart was as full as his stomach as he stood up so Tony could take his turn, whispering something into his ear that made Peter giggle, even in his half-asleep state. Steve's heart nearly swelled out of his chest as he watched Tony tuck Peter's fluffy blankets up over his shoulder, like he was still the tiny eleven-year-old kid that Steve had first met in that hateful Afghanistan desert.</p><p>"Did I ever tell you that you're an excellent father?" Steve asked as he and Tony made their way to their suite. He'd meant the comment as a sincere—if not a bit rhetorical—compliment, and so was alarmed when Tony's head whipped up to look at him, his brown eyes alight with fear and self-deprecation. He immediately paused in the hallway, reaching for Tony's elbows. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"</p><p>Tony shook his head, his eyes trained on Steve's collarbone. "I don't—I don't know, honey. I'm just—I'm just—"</p><p>"Well, you look terrified, like you've seen a ghost," Steve said. He tipped Tony's chin up, trying to meet his eyes. "Can you tell me what's got you so scared?"</p><p>Several heartbeats passed while Steve waited for Tony to answer, his bottom lip trembling. He knew that trying to push Tony into answering before he was ready often got him nowhere.</p><p>"I'm—I'm not, Steve," Tony finally said, softly. "I'm not a good father. Not if—not if I can't—if I can't even keep my boy from constantly getting hurt, or even worse, and—"</p><p>"Oh, mo grá," Steve murmured as he gathered his husband close. In all of the festivities that day, the fact that Tony had had yet another nightmare the night before had gotten pushed to the back of his mind. "Tony, those are just nightmares. It doesn't mean they're going to come true."</p><p>"Mmm, maybe not," mumbled Tony. "But still—Steve, if you hadn't found us in that desert when you did, Pete would've been dead. And now—" He pulled back, looking down at his hands. "I kept—I kept waiting for you to show up. While Pete was—while he was in my arms, begging for me to help him, I couldn't do a single damn thing. All I could do was tell him that Papa would be there soon. That once Papa got there, he would be fine. But then—"</p><p>"Then I wasn't," Steve said softly. Tears pricked his eyes that he quickly blinked away. He didn't like discussing it, not even with Sam, but he was also still haunted by that day. That day when he found Peter barely clinging to life, and saw the unbearable panic in Tony's eyes, panic that he couldn't help but instantly feel deep inside his gut. Steve still couldn't explain how he knew exactly what to do in order to save Peter, only that he had simply acted on instinct, and that his instincts had somehow been right.</p><p>
  <em>Thank God.</em>
</p><p>Taking Tony's hand, Steve guided him down the hall into their suite, settling them onto the plush couch in their sitting room with Tony's hands in his.</p><p>"Sweetheart, we've all been through so much. So much more than any person should ever go through in their lifetime. And you know Sam says that there are certain things that we just can't purge from our memory, no matter how much we wish we could. And something as horrifying as that… there's no way those memories will ever leave us." He ducked down, trying to meet Tony's eyes. "That doesn't make us weak, mo grá, and it doesn't make you a bad parent either. What happened to you in Afghanistan was not your fault, and that is a fact that is undisputed. If it weren't for your ingenuity and tenacity, you and Peter never would've escaped from that cave."</p><p>Tony scoffed, shrugging. "I'm sure you and Rhodey would've found us eventually."</p><p>"Maybe," said Steve. "But based on what you've told me about the armament that group was packing, I'm not sure if we would've been able to get you both out alive. You said they had enough of your weapons to supply a small country."</p><p>"Or a not-so-small country," muttered Tony.</p><p>"Well, anyway, it's all in the past now," Steve said. He pulled Tony into a tight hug, trailing his fingertips up and down his spine. "Look, it's been a pretty long day, so why don't we go to bed? Try and get some good sleep?"</p><p>"I don't think I know what that is anymore," Tony said, nearly cracking Steve's heart in two. "It's been so long since—"</p><p>"Okay, then how about this?" Steve said. "How about after Christmas, you, me, and Peter take the jet out to Ireland for New Year's. We've all been working our asses off since the school year started, and I think we could use a break."</p><p>Tony lifted his head, his eyebrows knitting together. "You want to take another break? After taking the entire summer off?"</p><p>Steve gave a sheepish shrug. "I'm sure the rest of the team won't mind having that week off. Sam's mentioned wanting to take Bucky down to New Orleans to meet his family soon, so…"</p><p>"Wow," Tony said. "They're moving kinda fast, hmm?"</p><p>"Eh, I don't think so," Steve said as he nuzzled Tony's temple. "If you know, there's really no sense in waiting. Is there?"</p><p>Finally, a soft smile stretched across Tony's lips, followed by an amused chuckle. "You're such a sap."</p><p>"Yes, and you still love me," Steve said. He brushed his lips across Tony's in a light kiss. "Let's go to bed, sweetheart. I think we could both use an earlier night."</p><p>Tony's shoulders sagged in a heavy sigh. "Fine," he said reluctantly. "But only if you promise to wear those red silk pants that I love."</p><p>"You mean the ones that somehow keep winding up in your drawer?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Tony muttered as he got to his feet, heading for the bathroom. "Can't help it if I like your clothes better than mine."</p><p>But while Tony was able to fall asleep rather quickly once they climbed into bed, Steve found himself lying awake deep into the night, unable to calm his troubled mind. The day had been a welcome distraction from the self-imposed stress he'd been under lately, but now that it was over, all of it had come roaring back with a vengeance. His optimistic words aside, Steve was not only worried about Tony, who seemed even worse now than he'd been following the Battle of New York, but Peter as well. He and Tony were just so much alike, and it was like clockwork that whenever Tony was particularly stressed out, so was Peter. His perceptiveness never allowed him to not notice when one or both of his dads were struggling.</p><p>And he was far too young to be so worried about his fathers. Fathers were supposed to worry about their children, not the other way around.</p><p><em>The trip to Ireland will be good for us, </em>Steve told himself for the umpteenth time, tightening his arm around Tony's lax body. Tony let out a sigh in his sleep, sliding his leg across Steve's lap as he burrowed impossibly closer.</p><p><em>Please, </em>Steve thought as he drew in a slow, deep breath, closing his eyes. <em>Please, leave us be.</em></p><p>
  <em>Haven't we been through enough?</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>"Ooh! Nice one, Pete!" Tony called from his perch on the back porch of their Irish cottage, laughing as Peter landed another snowball directly in the middle of Steve's chest. He had declined their offer to join them, preferring to watch from his spot by the fire pit where it was nice and warm rather than be out there slogging through the ankle-deep snow. The snow had started the day before, a rarity in December for this part of Ireland, but very much welcomed by Peter and Steve, who for some reason both loved the white, fluffy stuff. Tony had personally seen enough snow growing up in New York to last three lifetimes, one of the main reasons why he'd originally moved so much of Stark Industries out to California after taking it over. But as much as he hated to admit it, both Steve and Peter were New Yorkers to the bone, and Tony had a strong feeling that there was nothing he could do about it.</p><p>"Thanks, Dad!" Peter said as he gathered snow for his next snowball, his bright red nose and cheeks framed by the bright blue hood of his parka only enhancing his sweet, cherub look. More giggles ensued as he searched for Steve's hiding place amongst a clump of trees, finally launching his snowball when Steve attempted to move around behind him.</p><p>"All right, I think that's the game," Steve said, brushing the snow from the front of his ski jacket. "Whew, little guy! You're pretty good at this game!"</p><p>"Well, it helps when you play a lot with someone who can run really fast," said Peter. "And I've even managed to tag him a few times."</p><p>"That's 'cause you're a physics whiz, Pete," Tony said as Peter scrambled onto the porch and lunged for his cup of hot cocoa sitting next to the fire pit. "There's no other way anyone else could hit a speedster with a snowball. Uncle Bruce would be proud."</p><p>"Yeah, he was pretty impressed when I told him," Peter said, curling his gloved fingers around his cup. "Then we spent the next hour developing an algorithm for one of our next Avengers training programs." He glanced up at Steve, a rather shit-eating grin on his face. "Just wait till you see it, Papa. I think you're gonna love it."</p><p>"I'm sure I will, little guy," said Steve. He reached for his own cup of hot cocoa, giving Tony a wink across the top of it. "Are you ready for the fireworks?"</p><p>"As long as it doesn't get too much colder out here," answered Tony. "Otherwise, I'm gonna head back inside and you two nanuuks can stay out here and watch 'em by yourselves."</p><p>"Aw, Dad, it should only be a few more minutes," said Peter. "You can make it, can't you?"</p><p>Tony smiled, reaching over to bop Peter on the nose. "If you can make it, I s'pose I can too, bud. But next year we're going to Italy instead. No more of this leaving one freezing cold place just to fly to another freezing cold place halfway around the world nonsense."</p><p>"The news said this area hadn't had snow for New Year's in almost ten years," Steve said as he settled into his chair next to Tony. "So I say we got lucky."</p><p>"Of course you would," Tony playfully retorted. "And I'm sure it was all part of your plan."</p><p>"Eh, not quite," Steve said with a grin. "But I don't mind taking credit for it."</p><p>"That's right, Papa," Peter piped up from his chair on Tony's opposite side, where he was covered in so many various layers and blankets that Tony could barely still see him. With Peter's unstable body temperature, he had to be extra careful whenever he was out in the cold, and was currently appropriately dressed for a climb up Mount Everest. Tony had imported his down parka from Siberia—he'd ended up purchasing six of them, given Peter's tendency to misplace things—under which Peter was wearing two of his Spider-Man suits with their own built-in heaters, and a separate heated undershirt as well.</p><p>And hopefully all of that, plus the three woolen blankets he was huddling under and the hot cocoa he was drinking, would be enough to get them through the fireworks show, ringing in yet another new year.</p><p>But despite the cold—and the accompanying lack of a warm, sandy beach—Tony had to admit that the trip had been one of Steve's better ideas. December had been a busy month, filled with local and regional Decathlon competitions, a holiday dance at school—which Steve had been thrilled about, since he'd missed the last one thanks to HYDRA—more weekend training sessions, and Christmas, which the team had all spent up at the Compound, just as they had for Thanksgiving. Memories of the fiasco that had been the team's Christmas morning gift-giving still made Tony both smile and shake his head. It was amazing to him how a group of adults—and three teenagers—could instantly transform into a bunch of over-excited schoolchildren at the mere sight of a massive Christmas tree piled high with brightly-wrapped gifts.</p><p>And then the gifts, well… Tony had to admit that the team had outdone themselves. He was positive that Peter had never before been as spoiled as he was on that morning, opening gift after gift of everything from more geeky, science-nerd t-shirts—a favourite thing for Bruce to give him—to his very own new car—from Tony and Steve, although Bucky had chosen the colours for it—to his very own fish tank and accessories from Bucky and Sam, complete with a cute little blue and gold betta that he promptly named Finley.</p><p>And of course, at the end of the night, once all the gifts had been opened and the enormous Christmas dinner had been eaten and all the games had been played, Tony and Steve had tucked Peter into bed and retreated to their own suite. Christmas marked the anniversary of their first night spent together, and they celebrated it by making love until the very wee hours of the morning, just like they had four years ago. They had even slept in the nude afterwards, something they usually only reserved for getaways when Peter wasn't with them.</p><p>And thankfully, nothing bad happened.</p><p>In fact, Tony had half a mind to suggest to Steve that they do the same that night, once all of the fireworks were done and they got Peter off to bed.</p><p>"Oh!" Peter exclaimed as a kaleidoscope of bright colours suddenly lit up the sky in the distance, followed by a series of thundering <em>booms.</em> "Dad, Papa, look! They're starting!"</p><p>"Ohh," Steve murmured as a second firework shot up over the tall trees, starbursting into dazzling lines of green, white, and orange. Tony's breath hitched as he glanced over at his husband, and the way the bright colours reflected against his snow-sprinkled blond hair, making the strands almost sparkle.</p><p>Steve truly was the most beautiful man that Tony had ever seen, and he was already counting down the minutes until he could drag him back inside and have his way with him.</p><p>They all fell into an awed silence as the fireworks continued, lighting up the sky for a good twenty minutes before the big, booming finale that was so loud that it shook the snow from the treetops. At some point Steve draped his arm across Tony's shoulders, while Peter scooted his chair closer so he could lean his head against Tony's arm, with Steve gently stroking the back of his head. It was the same way the three of them usually watched movies together, with Tony sandwiched in between his two beloved boys.</p><p>It really was the perfect end to a tumultuous year, one that Tony was very glad to see gone.</p><p>"Happy New Year, Daddy," Peter whispered once it was over, his eyes already at half-mast. A knot rose in Tony's throat at Peter calling him 'Daddy', something he hadn't heard Peter say in quite a while.</p><p>Outside of his nightmares, at least.</p><p>"Happy New Year, buddy," Tony murmured as he kissed Peter's cheek. "It's gonna be a great one."</p><p>"You think he's ready for bed?" Steve asked a few heartbeats later, his voice so low and husky that Tony let out a shudder.</p><p>"God, I hope so," Tony whispered back. "I'm sure ready to prod him in that general direction."</p><p>Steve grinned, brushing his lips across Tony's jaw. "Then why don't we start now, hmm?"</p><p>"Don't have to tell me twice," Tony said, just before Peter poked his head up from his arm, his nose scrunched up in disgust.</p><p>"You guys know I can hear you, right?"</p><p>Tony rolled his eyes. How was it that he still wasn't used to how well Peter could hear now? "Yeah, well, why do you think your room's on the opposite side of the house, hmm?" he retorted. "And regardless of the reasoning, <em>child</em>, it's still time for you to go to bed."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah," Peter muttered as he downed the last few sips of his cocoa. "And I'm not a child. I'm a teenager."</p><p>"A teenager is still a child, little guy," said Steve. "Even one that has his own car." He clapped his hand on Peter's shoulder, guiding him into the house while Tony gathered up their various blankets and cocoa mugs, depositing them in their appropriate places.</p><p>"Happy New Year, JARVIS," he said once he'd started the dishwasher in the cozy kitchen. He and Peter had managed to get JARVIS fully programmed into the house over the summer, and Tony was grateful for the extra layer of security that the UI provided, as well as the familiar comfort of his voice.</p><p>It just wasn't a true Stark-Rogers home without JARVIS.</p><p>"Happy New Year to you, sir," answered JARVIS. "I do hope that you enjoyed the festivities? This area is quite well-known for its fireworks display."</p><p>"Yeah, they weren't bad. Not quite up to Times Square's standards, but I'll take this over the stupid touristy crowds anytime."</p><p>"Indeed, sir."</p><p>It was amusing, Tony thought as he made his way towards Peter's bedroom, finding Steve sitting in the armchair while Peter brushed his teeth. There was a time when he would've been appalled at the thought of not being in New York City on New Years Eve. Not that Tony had ever gone out to Times Square or anything, but hosting a hot party at the Four Seasons that ended with a girl—or guy—or two inside his lavish suite once all was said and done… well, that's what was typical for Tony Stark back in the day. Complete with his face plastered across the front page of every gossip paper and magazine in print.</p><p>Somehow, over the years, the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist had managed to drop the playboy part of that equation, replacing it first with father, then with husband.</p><p>And he wouldn't trade it for anything. Not a single, goddamn thing.</p><p>"Hey," Steve asked as they stepped into their gorgeous lofted bedroom, with the floor-to-ceiling windows offering a perfect view of the moonlight shining through the nearby trees. "Are you okay?"</p><p>"Yeah," Tony said as he wound his arms around Steve's waist. "Just thinking."</p><p>"Oh?" Steve said with a smile. "What're you thinking about?"</p><p>Tony's heart gave a flutter as he looked into Steve's gorgeous blue eyes, those eyes that were a clear window deep into his soul. He was still sometimes taken aback by how much love he saw in those eyes, even during the smallest of passing glances. He knew that he shouldn't be. Steve had demonstrated his love for both Tony and Peter too many times to count. But Tony still couldn't help it.</p><p>He tucked his head down under Steve's chin, grinning as Steve asked JARVIS to play <em>All of Me, </em>taking Tony's right hand into his as they started to sway back and forth.</p><p>Such a sap, was Tony's husband.</p><p>"Just… feeling pretty lucky, on this New Year's Eve," Tony murmured. "And hoping it's not just a passing fancy."</p><p>Steve was quiet for several heartbeats as they swayed to the music, the same song they had danced to on their wedding day. Finally, he pressed his lips to the top of Tony's head, his left hand gliding up to splay across Tony's back.</p><p>"I don't think I'd call it luck, sweetheart," Steve murmured. "I think it's something more than that. Something like soulmates, or fate, or another one of those things that people talk about in movies and books all the time. You and I were meant to be together. I believe that with every part of me, because if we weren't, all of the challenges that we've faced up until now, there's no way we would've survived them. Any one of those challenges could've killed one or both of us, but they didn't. And I think it's because we're meant to be here, now, together. In this family, with this team." He paused, bringing his hand up to cup Tony's cheek, his blue eyes intense in the moonlight glinting off his hair. "I don't know what this new year is going to bring us. But what I do know, is that as long as we have each other, we'll be able to get through whatever it is. As long as we have each other's back, no matter what, we'll get through it."</p><p>Tony nodded, not trusting himself to speak. "Together," he finally whispered. "I can do that."</p><p>"Good," Steve whispered. Then he dipped his head and captured Tony's lips in a kiss that made Tony's knees go weak at its sexy sweetness, his tongue dipping inside Tony's mouth just enough to make him whimper.</p><p>"Steve," Tony rasped as they broke apart. "Honey, take me to bed."</p><p>Steve smiled, revealing the dimple that drove Tony mad as he leaned down to whisper in Tony's ear.</p><p>"That was my plan, sweetheart."</p>
<hr/><p>Tony let out a soft groan as he zipped up his suitcase, hefting it up off the couch. Despite the freezing-cold winter weather, the week spent in their Irish cottage had been so relaxing and peaceful that he wasn't ready to head home just yet, back to the harsh reality that awaited them in New York.</p><p>He wanted to stay in their little happy, relatively stress-free bubble just a bit longer.</p><p>
  <em>Darn school schedules. Always trying to dictate our lives.</em>
</p><p>He had just set the suitcase down next to the doorway when he heard Peter yell for him from the living room, startling him. He wasn't used to living in a house where one could yell from room to room and still be heard.</p><p>"Dad! Papa! Uncle Clint's on the phone for you guys!"</p><p>Tony rolled his eyes as he made his way to the living room, finding Clint and Pietro's faces already on the monitor just as Steve came in from the back, where he'd been busy stacking firewood to save for their next visit.</p><p>"Clint?" Steve said in his Captain's voice. "What's going on?"</p><p>"Hey, Cap, Tony. Look, I'm really sorry to have to bother you guys on your vacation, but we kinda had a bit of a break-in here, and—"</p><p>"What?" Tony exclaimed, wincing as a hot bolt of pain shot up his left arm. "Up at the Compound? But that's supposed to be impossible!"</p><p>"Is everyone all right?" Steve asked quickly. "Was anyone hurt?"</p><p>"No, no, Cap, we're all fine," Clint said as Steve reached for Tony's hand. "And yeah, under normal circumstances, it is supposed to be impossible to break in because JARVIS would've blasted the bastard right outta here with the drones the second he showed his face. Except—"</p><p>"Except what, Clint?" demanded Steve. "JARVIS, how did this happen?"</p><p>"I believe, Captain, that—"</p><p>"It was because he was really, really small, Captain," Pietro cut in, just as Tony noticed that he was holding some kind of clear container in his hands, the kind that Steve liked to store his leftovers in. "I only noticed him because we were still outside, and I saw the snowflakes jump."</p><p>Tony's head snapped back in surprise, and he gave it a hard shake, crying to clear it. "Wait, you saw… <em>what?"</em></p><p>"Pietro, what's in the container?" Steve asked. "What did you find?"</p><p>Raising the container, Pietro leaned in closer, squinting at what was inside, which, if Tony didn't know any better, appeared to be a human, dressed in some kind of goofy Halloween costume.</p><p>A really, <em>really </em>small human. Like the size of a bug, small.</p><p>"Um… is—is that, a guy?" Tony asked, incredulous. "Like, a <em>human?"</em></p><p>"Whoa!" Peter piped up from behind Tony. "That's really a guy? That's so cool!"</p><p>"Pete—!"</p><p>"That's what we're trying to tell you guys," Clint said with a sigh. "JARVIS was able to amplify and adjust his speech so we could understand him, but Sam told us to keep him contained until we could talk to you, so we did."</p><p>
  <em>What in the everlasting, goddamn, hell—?</em>
</p><p>"Okay?" Tony said, scowling deeply. "So, what, can he shrink at will or something?"</p><p>"Yes, sir," answered JARVIS. "In fact, the gentleman is requesting permission to return to his regular size, so as to make the proper introductions. He has offered his word that he means no harm to any person or property on the premises."</p><p>Steve's jaw was twitching like mad as he glanced down at Tony, his lips pursing at Tony's affirmative nod.</p><p>"All right, we can let him out. Pietro, I want you to be ready for anything, you got that?" Steve ordered.</p><p>Pietro gave a firm nod. "Yes, Captain. I am ready."</p><p>"All right. Tell him we're ready, JARVIS."</p><p>Barely three seconds later, Tony jumped back with a yelp as a fully-grown man suddenly appeared next to Clint and Pietro, dressed in some kind of comic book-looking armour and wearing a helmet that resembled those worn by early twentieth century deep-sea divers.</p><p>"Who the hell are you?" Tony snapped as the guy pressed a button on the side of his helmet, revealing his face. He quickly glanced at Steve, then at Tony, then at Peter standing in the background, his eyes widening as if in admiration.</p><p>"Ohh… you're Cap—Captain America!" he said, rather breathlessly. "And—and Iron Man!"</p><p>"Yes, but I believe we've asked you a question," Steve said firmly. "Who are you?"</p><p>The guy swallowed hard, smiling sheepishly in Pietro's direction.</p><p>"Ahh, hi," he finally said. "Um… I'm Scott."</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Stop by and see me on tumblr.  I’m <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geekymoviemom">geekymoviemom</a> and <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geeky-writes">geeky-writes</a> there!  😊 </strong>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Woohoo, Scott has arrived!  😎 </p><p>I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment!  💖</p><p>Emoji Key for those who don't know what to say in the comments!<br/>❤ = you wish you could kudos again<br/>😭 = I got you right in the feels<br/>🔥 = this was so hot/ sweet!<br/>🐰 = it’s so fluffy!<br/>😣 = the angst is killing me!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much to my awesome betas allthesinnersandthesaints and jehbeeeh! 💖 </p><p>And thank you to ads1008 for the beautiful moodboard! 💖</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>"And <em>then, </em>my mom said that instead of us going out to Hawaii next summer to visit my grandparents, you know, like we always do, we're gonna pay for them to fly here," Ned said, groaning in frustration. "Apparently my grandma really wants to see New York City for some reason."</p><p>Peter shifted on his squashy couch along the side of the jet, rubbing at his scratchy eyes as he tried to keep from yawning. He'd called Ned so he could help distract him from his father's latest freak-out, and it had worked for a little while. But the last ten minutes or so had turned into nothing but a whine-fest, and Peter was rapidly getting over it.</p><p>"Well, I s'pose for someone who's lived all her life in Hawaii, New York sounds kind of exciting," he said. "I bet it's a lot busier than where she lives."</p><p>"Yeah, but that's kinda the point, ya know?" said Ned. "We go to Hawaii every summer so we can get out of the busy city. So we can lie around on the beach all day and swim in the ocean and watch the sunsets. But now when they come out here, we're gonna have to show them around and stuff."</p><p>"So you go and do all the touristy stuff," Peter said. "Go see the Empire State Building, walk down Fifth Avenue, see a show on Broadway. It's what Papa and I did when he first came to live with us, and then we did all that stuff again with Uncle Bucky. And you've always said you've wanted to see The Lion King, haven't you?"</p><p>"Well… yeah," Ned admitted. "But I'm sure I could see it just as easily in Hawaii."</p><p>Peter let out a sigh as he shifted again, trying to get comfortable. "Actually, you probably can't. The Broadway musical casts usually stick to just playing on Broadway, so…"</p><p>Ned quirked an eyebrow. "Oh. Well, that makes sense." He squinted, leaning closer to his screen. "Where are you guys right now, anyway?"</p><p>"Um…" Peter said as his eyebrows knitted together. "We're still over the Atlantic, dude. We won't reach land again for another five hours, depending on the wind speeds."</p><p>"Oh," Ned said with a nod. "Yeah, that makes sense. You said you had fun though?"</p><p>"Yeah, it was fun. How was New Year's Eve in New York?"</p><p>"Oh, you know, same old, same old," said Ned. "My dad and I went downtown so we could see the fireworks better, but other than that it was just crowded, cold, and noisy. You know, typical New York."</p><p>"Gotcha," said Peter.</p><p>"I did get my essay done for Decathlon though," added Ned.</p><p>"Oh, yeah?" Peter said. "What'cha do it on?"</p><p>"The differences in the design of missile silos in the United States and the Soviet Union," Ned said. "It was actually kinda interesting. It seemed like however we did stuff, the Soviet Union wanted to do it differently. Like the exact opposite."</p><p>"Yeah, I've heard that," said Peter. "Nothing like the two most powerful countries in the world acting like a couple of toddlers fighting over a toy, hmm?" Papa had said something to that effect when he was helping Peter research for his own essay on the Iran Contra Affair.</p><p>Ned let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I guess that's one way to look at it. Even though the Soviet Union was made up of a bunch of different countries, and we were just one."</p><p>"Yeah, Ned, I know that," Peter said, rather shortly. "But the leader in Moscow was still in control of everyone. Those other countries' leaders were just puppet governments installed by Moscow in rigged elections."</p><p>"Yeah, true. And don't forget the guys constantly plotting to kill off the leaders at any given time," stated Ned. He looked back towards his bedroom door as Peter heard Ned's mother's voice in the background, calling for him. "Ah, sorry dude, but I gotta go now."</p><p>"Yeah, it's okay."</p><p>"You're gonna be at school on Monday, right?" Ned asked.</p><p>"Ah, yeah," Peter said after a short pause. He honestly had no idea even what day it was, only that he was due back at school soon. "Yeah, I'll be there."</p><p>"Are you gonna have your new car there at the Tower?" Ned asked excitedly. "Are your dads gonna let you drive yourself to school now?"</p><p>Peter scoffed, rolling his eyes. "No, they said the car has to stay up at the Compound until I turn eighteen," he grumbled. "So I'll only get to drive it on the weekends."</p><p>"Oh, that sucks," Ned said, rather downcast. "I was kinda hoping you could start picking me up."</p><p>"Yeah, nope. Sorry."</p><p>"Nah, it's okay. But hey, could you send me another one of those videos of your fish when you get home? I like 'em, they're really relaxing."</p><p>"Uhh, sure. I can do that." Ned did have a point. Watching Finley swim around in his tank was pretty relaxing, and something that Peter had been doing a lot of ever since Christmas Day. He had even set up a special camera so he could watch him while he was away.</p><p>"Thanks," said Ned. "I'll see you on Monday."</p><p>"Uh huh. See ya then." As soon as the screen went blank, Peter dropped his head back, scrubbing at his tired and wonky eyes with his knuckles. He'd packed his glasses into his backpack thinking that he'd try and sleep on the plane—that'd been Papa's plan, at least—but with Dad vibrating so hard that he was practically knocking the jet off course, Peter hadn't been able to relax enough to fall asleep. He had tried to call Gwen, thinking she'd be able to help him calm down, but her mom had told him that she was out on a daddy-daughter date, and wouldn't be home until late that night.</p><p>He couldn't help but wonder if Gwen being out with her dad meant that she'd heard back from Oxford about her internship. Despite Peter's misgivings about her going, he had helped her prepare for her interview, and she had told him afterwards that she'd thought it had gone well.</p><p>Grunting, Peter grabbed onto the back of the couch and pulled himself up, peeking over the top to find Papa and Dad on the pullout bed in the very back of the jet. Papa had a book in one hand, some dog-eared novel from the small library he kept in the jet, and Dad's tablet was lying face down off to the side, with his glasses neatly folded on top. Peter couldn't help but smile at how they were cuddled up together, with Dad's head resting on Papa's chest and Papa's arm tight around him.</p><p>And Dad was even sound asleep, something that both shocked Peter and didn't at the same time. Dad had told him multiple times growing up that the only way he'd been able to sleep as a baby was if Dad held him against his chest, with his ear over his heart. There was just something about the rhythmic beat of Dad's heart that always managed to soothe Peter no matter how upset he was, and since Papa had come along, Peter had lost count of how many times Papa had been able to get Dad to relax in the same way when he was super stressed out.</p><p>Yet another trait that Peter had apparently inherited from his father.</p><p>"Hey, little guy," Papa said softly as he glanced over at Peter. "You doing okay?"</p><p>"Yeah, I'm okay," Peter answered. "Just… tired."</p><p>With a quick glance at Dad, Papa set down his book and shifted slightly on the bed, holding open his free arm.</p><p>"I've got two arms for a reason," he said with a gentle smile. "Come on over."</p><p>It was almost comical how quickly Peter scrambled up off his couch, diving onto his dads' bed so hard that Papa let out a muffled grunt as he pulled Peter tightly against his side. He felt Papa kiss the top of his head as he laid his head down onto his chest, his eyelids already heavy as the strong, steady pulse of Papa's heartbeat started to work its magic.</p><p>"It's gonna be okay, Peter," Papa whispered a few seconds later, his fingertips massaging Peter's scalp. "I'll make sure of it."</p><p>"Yeah, I know," Peter mumbled into Papa's chest. He tilted his head up, opening one eye so he could glance over at Dad. Despite Papa's presence, his sleep was not a peaceful one, with his forehead etched in deep worry lines and his lips curled into a frown.</p><p>It was a protest sleep, and those were never very restful. Peter would know.</p><p>"Shh, little guy," Papa whispered as he patted the back of Peter's neck. "I can hear your mind spinning. Try not to worry, okay?"</p><p>"Hmph," grumbled Peter. "Don't think that's gonna happen."</p><p>"Okay, then, how about you acknowledge that there's nothing we can do about it right this second, and try and get some rest, all right?" said Papa. "Dad and I have arranged for you to ride back to the Tower with Sam and Bucky once we get back."</p><p>Peter scowled, lifting his head. "Why? So I'm not around while you and Dad interrogate the dude who tried to break in?"</p><p>"Well, I'm not sure if 'interrogate' is the word I would use, but yes, we do have some questions for him," Papa said firmly. "Mainly, why he felt the need to try and break into our home rather than simply ask us for help."</p><p>"Yeah, and probably where he got his tech too, so I guess that makes sense." Peter paused, wondering if he should even mention the proverbial elephant in the room. Mentioning HYDRA around Papa was touchy, and the last thing Peter wanted was for him to get upset.</p><p>Which, Peter realised, he probably already was. He just tended to keep it tucked away better than Dad did.</p><p>"So… um… do you think he's from HYDRA?" Peter finally asked, his throat tightening when Papa flinched.</p><p>"No, I don't, little guy," Papa answered. "According to JARVIS, this Scott Lang fellow was kind of a modern-day Robin Hood, stealing money from wealthy executives who had cheated their customers and returning it to the customers. He was recently released from prison."</p><p>"Oh," Peter said, wrinkling his nose. "So… he's like a cyber cat burglar?"</p><p>"Yes, something like that, but he has plenty of experience as a regular cat burglar too," said Papa. "And JARVIS also told us that he has a young daughter, one he hasn't been allowed to see since his release from prison."</p><p>"Okay, so… then where'd he get such cool tech?" Peter asked.</p><p>Papa's jaw tightened, his arm instinctively drawing Dad closer to him. "According to JARVIS, there's only one person who's ever developed any kind of shrinking tech. And apparently, he's no friend of the Stark family."</p><p>"Oh, great," Peter said, wincing. "Probably someone else that my grandpa managed to piss off?"</p><p>Papa let out a short chuckle. "Something like that. Try and sleep now, okay? It'll help with the jet lag once we get back."</p><p>"Mmm, fine." Peter burrowed closer, closing his eyes as he absorbed the warmth that Papa radiated like a heater. "But can I ask you just one more thing first? It doesn't have anything to do with the bug dude."</p><p>"All right, little guy," said Papa. "What is it?"</p><p>"Well…" Peter started, gulping. His request was a long shot at best, but he supposed it didn't hurt to ask anyway. "You know that Irish Festival in Brooklyn that you and Dad are planning on going to on St Patrick's Day?"</p><p>Papa raised an eyebrow, eyeing Peter warily. "Yes? What about it?"</p><p>"Well… since it's on a Friday, and we usually head up to the Compound on Fridays after I'm done with school, I was wondering if it'd be okay if I took Gwen up there with me for the weekend? She's been wanting to see my new telescope, and according to the star charts we've been studying there's supposed to be a lot of cool stuff that'll be visible that weekend, and—and we just kinda wanted to see if we could find some of it, and—"</p><p>"Peter—"</p><p>"We could drive up with Uncle Bucky and Uncle Sam, and with Uncle Clint and Auntie Nat and the twins already there we'd be surrounded by most of the team, and not to mention all of the SHIELD agents and the drones, and—"</p><p>"Peter—"</p><p>"And there's that huge guest room there that never even gets used, and I really want to show her around everywhere, and introduce her to Pietro and Wanda, and she's told me a few times that she's never been upstate, and in the early spring it's really pretty and stuff with all the leaves that are starting to bud, and—"</p><p>"Peter!" Papa hissed, glancing furtively down at Dad when he let out a soft whimper. "Little guy, if you'll let me get a word in here, Dad and I have already talked about this."</p><p>Peter's head popped up so fast that he wrenched his neck. "Hang on. You did? When?"</p><p>"Well, contrary to what you might sometimes think, we're not completely unaware of the fact that you and Gwen haven't been able to spend much time together recently, so… we've already arranged it. Bucky and Sam said it was fine, and Dad's already spoken to Chief Stacy about it as well."</p><p>"You—he <em>did?"</em> Peter swiped at his watery eyes, so flabbergasted he could barely form words. He'd been ramping himself up for an argument, and now he didn't quite know what to do. "Uhh, when did this happen? Wait, you know what? Nevermind. I guess it doesn't really matter when. Um… thanks! I—I really—I mean, thanks, Papa."</p><p>"You are welcome," Papa said, with a rather conspiratorial grin. "Now, will you please try and get some sleep?"</p><p>"Uhh, yeah," Peter said. He resumed his position, unable to keep his wide smile in check. St Patrick's Day was still over three months away, but the thought of getting to spend an entire weekend with Gwen, even if it was under the watchful eyes of most of his family, made him very, very happy.</p><p>"Aren't you gonna try and sleep, Papa?" he asked after a short pause. He knew Dad had been up pacing the hallways again the night before, and that Papa had joined him at some point, so he had to be just as tired.</p><p>"Oh, we'll see," Papa whispered. "You don't need to worry about me, little guy. I've got you."</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter murmured. "'Night."</p><p>It was silly how easily those three little words could relax Peter, almost as much as the steady heartbeat beneath his ear. "<em>I've got you"</em> were the first words that he'd ever heard Papa say to him, after he'd brought him back from the dead in the middle of the desert. Dad had told Peter later on that Papa had been begging Peter to breathe before that, but Peter didn't remember it. Just like he didn't remember most of Dad's panicked freakout before Papa got there.</p><p>Which was perfectly fine with him. He would much rather hold onto his papa's "I've got you" than the rest of the pure hell he and Dad had endured inside that cave, the first level of apparently many to come.</p><p>The cave. The Malibu house bombing. Project Insight. The streets of Queens. The Miami bunker. The Compound's lake. The movie theatre. The invisible HYDRA bunker.</p><p>Seven different levels of hell, all of which almost took Peter's life or the life of one or both of his dads.</p><p>And now, Dad was being tormented in his dreams with an eighth, the worst of them all.</p><p><em>Please, </em>Peter thought as sleep started to pull him under. <em>Please, just leave us alone.</em></p><p>
  <em>Haven't we had enough?</em>
</p><hr/><p>Tony clung tightly to Steve's hand as they headed across the vast yard of the Compound to the main SHIELD building, where Scott Lang was being held in the sub-basement brig. Fury had offered to have Maria Hill conduct Lang's questioning, but Tony had adamantly declined. He wanted to hear directly from the horse's mouth exactly why in the <em>hell</em> Hank Pym, a man Tony had grown up despising thanks to Howard's influence, had felt it necessary to essentially blackmail some no-name cat burglar into trying to steal from the Avengers' Compound.</p><p><em>No one fucking breaks into my house! </em>he practically screamed inside his head. <em>No one!</em></p><p>Hadn't he spent the last two-plus years ensuring that that very thing was impossible? Ever since Obie and his HYDRA goons had managed to override JARVIS and break into the Tower in order to steal Peter from right under his and Steve's noses, Tony had sworn up, down, sideways, and diagonally that he would never, <em>ever,</em> allow <em>anything </em>like that to happen ever again.</p><p>Not. Fucking. <em>Ever.</em></p><p>And, as such, Tony was absolutely <em>not </em>in the mood to hear any excuses from Scott whoever-the-hell-he-was. As soon as he'd heard JARVIS mention Hank Pym's name, Tony had been so damn close to calling George Stacy and having him arrest the goddamn son-of-a-bitch that Steve almost hadn't been able to stop him, finally promising Tony that he would agree to press charges against Hank if they still felt they were necessary after they'd had a chance to talk with Scott Lang.</p><p>Who, for all intents and purposes, had been perfectly cooperative ever since he got caught, even going so far as to relinquish all of his equipment to Bruce so he could take a look at it. The uniform itself was crude, Bruce had told Tony on the flight home, but still effective for its intended purpose. But it was really the tiny red particles encased in the clear glass vials on Lang's belt that were the key to the whole thing, allowing Lang to shrink and un-shrink as needed.</p><p>Pym Particles. Tony had heard Howard whining about them so many times as a teenager that he still occasionally heard him in his sleep. The fact that Howard was never able to replicate the formula that Hank used to create his magic shrinking particles had nearly driven him mad with jealousy and resentment, only adding to the gargantuan pile of shit that Howard had carried around with him like some kind of ratty security blanket. His entire career Howard had surrounded himself with other scientists, anyone who he considered as smart or smarter than he was, in an attempt to keep his enemies closer, so to speak. Anyone who Howard felt he could learn from—or steal from—was fair game, no matter where their true loyalties fell.</p><p>As Tony and Steve had realised, when they discovered that Arnim Zola, the man behind the Project Insight algorithm, had been yet another of Howard's questionable SHIELD colleagues, recruited into the organisation by Howard himself.</p><p><em>You always had to be the goddamn best, right? </em>Tony thought bitterly. <em>Could never face the fact that you maybe weren't the smartest person on the planet.</em></p><p>It was why Howard couldn't even bring himself to attend Tony's graduation from MIT. Tony's mother had told him that Howard had gotten called away on urgent business the night before, and Tony had accepted that flimsy-ass excuse for her sake, but he had always known the truth.</p><p>Howard simply couldn't accept the fact that Tony had surpassed his level of intelligence, and since Howard knew he couldn't collect Tony like he'd collected so many other brilliant scientists, he simply chose to ignore him instead.</p><p>
  <em>Asshole.</em>
</p><p>Tony wished he could've been a fly on the wall during the tongue-lashing Howard got from Aunt Peggy once he got home, though. He's pretty sure it would've helped him feel a bit better.</p><p>At least for a few minutes.</p><p>And, even better, <em>he </em>was now in possession of the very same particles that Howard had tried his damndest to replicate before Hank Pym's dramatic departure from SHIELD. And given the combined brainpower between Bruce, Peter, and himself, Tony had little doubt that they would be able to eventually crack the formula and produce their own.</p><p>Not that Tony had a clue what in the hell they'd actually <em>do </em>with them. At the moment it was mainly just a pride thing.</p><p>
  <em>Take that, Howard.</em>
</p><p>"Tony," Steve murmured as they reached the building. He pulled open the door, stepping back to allow Tony to enter first. "Sweetheart, your mind's been whirring nonstop since we got back here yesterday. Are you sure this is still such a good idea?"</p><p>Tony shot him a scowl, one so harsh that Steve pursed his lips, yanking him down the hall towards an empty conference room.</p><p>"Okay, I'm going to ask you again," he said in his Captain's voice. "Do you think this is still a good idea?"</p><p>"No, I don't think it's a good idea!" Tony snapped. "But I also don't think that we have a choice! That asshole tried to break into our <em>house, </em>Steve, and I wanna know why!"</p><p>"Yes, mo grá, I know that," Steve said, way too evenly for Tony's taste. "But there are plenty of other ways we can find out what we want to find out that don't include you having to talk to him."</p><p>"No, goddamnit!" Tony shot back. "I'm not getting any information about him that's secondhand!"</p><p>"Information from me would not be secondhand, and you know it," Steve said through clenched teeth, his jaw twitching madly. Tony could tell he was trying hard to hold back his temper. "I just don't think it's worth putting you through this when it's not necessary."</p><p>"But it is fucking necessary!" Tony yelled, his heart lurching when Steve jumped back. He knew better than to yell at Steve, or at Peter, for that matter, and yet had been doing so far too often lately. His face fell as he reached for Steve's arm, relieved when Steve didn't try and pull away. "Honey, I'm sorry. You know—you know I'm not upset at you. I'm just—I need to get on top of all of this shit that's been going on lately, and you know I don't believe in coincidences, so—"</p><p>"Yes, I know you don't," Steve said softly as he curled his arms around Tony's waist. "And I know you're not upset with me personally, but that doesn't mean I'm not still worried about you."</p><p>Tony scoffed, tipping his forehead against Steve's collarbone. "You know you don't have to worry about me so much, Steve. I'm not made out of glass, remember?"</p><p>
  <em>Stark men are made of iron.</em>
</p><p>"I never said you were," Steve said. He dropped his shoulders, letting out a heavy sigh as he glided his palms up Tony's back. "I just… want you to remember that you're not alone in this. I'm here, and so is the rest of the team. And none of us like to see you like this, under so much constant stress. Especially Peter."</p><p>"Mmm," grumbled Tony. "Pete knows me better than that."</p><p>"Yes, he does," agreed Steve. "But he's also a lot more like you than either of you would like to admit, and so he tends to try and carry other people's stress around on his shoulders just like you do."</p><p>Tony lifted his head, trying to ignore the deep worry wrinkle between Steve's perfect eyebrows. "Oh, and you don't? Wait, don't—don't answer that."</p><p>"You know that I do," Steve said softly. "But I'm an adult, Tony, and Peter isn't. And he shouldn't have to be worrying about his father so much."</p><p>"And I've told him multiple times that he doesn't need to be worrying about me," Tony said, cringing at his own petulance. All he was doing was making things worse. "Look, I promise I'll talk to Sam about this stuff sometime soon, okay? But right now all I wanna do is get this questioning over with so we can figure out what the hell Hank Pym was after."</p><p>Steve was quiet for several heartbeats, finally giving him a nod. "All right. But I would appreciate it if you'll let me do most of the talking, at least at first."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess I can do that," Tony muttered. "You can just elbow me or something whenever you need my input."</p><p>"Tony," Steve said with a sigh. "Sweetheart—"</p><p>"It was a joke, honey, okay?" Tony said, rolling his eyes. "You know I tend to joke—"</p><p>"At inappropriate times," Steve finished. He pressed his lips to Tony's forehead, trailing his fingertip across Tony's cheekbone. "Yes, I do. Now, are you ready?"</p><p>"Yep," Tony said firmly. "Let's get this over with."</p><p>But despite his attempt at bravado, as they made their way towards the bank of elevators, Tony was far more nervous than he wanted to admit. Out of all of the changes he'd made to the security systems at both the Tower and the Compound, having to deal with a possible threat that was the size of a goddamn bug was the one thing that had not occurred to him.</p><p>And now that it had, Tony was at a loss as to how he was going to be able to prevent a similar threat. He could only refine the drone stun beams to a certain point, and he couldn't exactly have them firing at every single ant, fly, or mosquito that happened to wander into their range either.</p><p>That would be far too noisy. And not to mention the mess they would cause. Much worse than poor DUM-E would be able to keep up with.</p><p>They found Scott Lang lying on the padded bench in his cell, his hands folded behind his head as he contemplated the ceiling. As soon as he noticed Steve he shot to his feet, nearly tipping over in his haste to salute him.</p><p>"Cap—Captain America—I mean, Captain Rogers," he stuttered as he glanced up at his hand, frowning like he didn't realise what he'd done. "And Iron Man—Mr Stark. Um… hi, I'm—I'm—"</p><p>"You're Scott Lang," Steve stated. "Yes, we're both already well aware of who you are."</p><p>"Oh, yeah, I'm sure you are," Lang said, immediately cringing as he glanced between Tony and Steve. "Are you—I mean… oh God, you're not gonna kill me, are you?"</p><p>Steve shot Tony one of Peter's <em>duh</em> looks. "No, we're not going to kill you, Mr Lang," Steve said. "However, we would appreciate you answering some questions for us."</p><p>Lang's jaw opened and closed as he tried to come up with a response, finally muttering a quiet, "Ah, sure. But if you're gonna ask me how the suit works or anything like that, I'm afraid I can't tell you."</p><p>"Oh?" Steve said. "And why is that?"</p><p>"Probably 'cause he doesn't know," Tony said. He stepped back as one of the SHIELD guards unlocked Lang's cell, leading the three of them into a nearby interrogation room. Once they were settled, Steve leaned forward, his hands folded in front of him.</p><p>"Is that why you can't explain to us how your suit works, Mr Lang?" he asked. "Because you don't know how?"</p><p>"Ah, yep," said Lang. "That—that's exactly why. Hank didn't really explain all of it to me. Just enough for me to know what to do."</p><p>Tony bristled at the mention of Hank, but managed to keep his mouth shut as Steve began peppering Lang with various questions, including why he chose to jump back in to committing crimes shortly after getting out of prison.</p><p>"I didn't jump right back in to committing crimes," Lang snapped, immediately clapping his hand over his mouth. "Oh, wait, I—I didn't mean it like that, Cap—Captain. Rogers. I just… look. I went to prison because I got caught trying to do what I believed was the right thing. And I accepted that. I accepted the fact that maybe I could've tried a different way to fix what was broken, a way that wouldn't have kept me away from my daughter. I mean, she was still a toddler when I got locked up, so that really was pretty stupid of me. And it also cost me my marriage, but… that's a whole other story. Anyway, once I got out I tried to get a job so I could pay off my back child support, but… it's not easy for a convicted felon to get a job that pays enough, and especially in San Francisco, and since I'm never gonna be allowed to work in my field again, I—I guess I just got desperate. I mean, my wife's new fiancé is a cop, and God knows he'd like nothing more than to toss me right back into that prison and lock me away forever."</p><p>"Ah huh," Tony said. "And so… after Hank Pym put out the word that he was looking for someone to break into his own house, you jumped at the chance?"</p><p>Lang scowled, glancing over at Steve as if he was looking for help. "Okay, first of all, Mr Stark, I didn't know it was Hank's house that I was breaking into until a lot later."</p><p>"When, later?" asked Steve.</p><p>"Uhh, not till after I broke out of jail," Lang answered. "But that only happened because I was trying to break back into Hank's house so I could return what I took."</p><p>Steve frowned, and Tony had to bite down on his tongue to keep from laughing. This whole thing was starting to read like something that Peter and Ned would make up during their Minecraft games.</p><p>"So, you were trying to break back into Mr Pym's house to return the suit… that you originally stole from his house?" Steve asked.</p><p>"Yes, that's exactly it," said Lang. "And that's when I got caught."</p><p>"And then Mr Pym helped you escape from jail?"</p><p>"Yep, that's right," Lang said with a nod. "Him and the ants."</p><p>"The ants," Steve said, not missing a beat. "Okay, we'll get to those later. What happened next?"</p><p>"Well… once Hank explained that it was him who'd been behind the whole thing, he took me into his secret lab inside his house and offered me the chance to see my daughter again."</p><p>"And that chance was to steal something from our home? Where we live with our own child?" Steve asked sternly. "Not to mention the other members of our team?"</p><p>"Yeah, well, when you put it like that, I'll admit that it does sound pretty bad," Lang muttered. He dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, as soon as Hank told me about the Pym Particle, or whatever the hell it is, I told him that I thought we should just call you guys. You know, the Avengers?"</p><p>"Yes, I'm pretty sure we know, Mr Lang," Steve said, somehow still managing to keep a straight face. "Seeing as we are the Avengers."</p><p>"Well, yeah, of course you are," Lang said with a laugh, one that dropped from his face as soon as he glanced in Tony's direction. "Okay, I'll admit that was a pretty dumb thing to say. Anyway, after I mentioned that to Hank, he told me that he'd spent half his life trying to keep his stuff out of the hands of a Stark, and that—"</p><p>"And he wasn't gonna give it to one now, hmm?" Tony cut in. "Yeah, that sounds exactly like Pym, that old son of a bitch."</p><p>"Tony," Steve said, giving Tony's hand a quick squeeze. "Okay, Mr Lang, so you do understand that Tony here is not his father, right? And I'm sure I don't have to list for you all of the ways that Tony and his company have helped not only the people of New York, but all over the world."</p><p>"Oh, no! No, of course you don't have to explain it!" Lang exclaimed. "I mean, I don't even know who your father was, Mr Stark, let alone—but you're—well… you're Iron Man! My daughter even has one of your action figures! And personally, I don't think your suit is cute at all. I think it's totally badass."</p><p>"Cute?" snapped Tony. "Who in the <em>hell </em>said that my suit was—!"</p><p>"Tony," Steve said again, a bit more forcefully this time. He drew in a deep breath, eyeing Lang warily. "Okay, Mr Lang. Then why don't you tell us what you were trying to steal, and why."</p><p>Lang audibly gulped, tapping his fingertips together. "Um… Hank said it was some kind of a signal decoy, something that he built during his SHIELD days. He said he needed it to counteract some—"</p><p>"To counteract transmission blockers," Tony said. "Yeah, I know what you're talking about. That thing's ancient."</p><p>"Well, like I said, I don't really know what it is or what it's for," Lang said with a shrug. "Just that Hank said that he needed it."</p><p>"And why does he need this particular device?" Steve asked.</p><p>"'Cause Hank told me that some guy was trying to steal something from his company, some old apprentice of his," said Lang. He huffed out a sharp breath, chewing nervously on his lip. "Look, I'm really, really sorry that I tried to break into your house. Hank told me that it was just some old warehouse that Howard Stark used to own, so—"</p><p>"Well, at least he got that right," Tony said.</p><p>"So it should've been a piece of cake," Lang continued. "And as soon as I flew overhead and realised that it wasn't just some old warehouse, I should've turned around right then and there. But I didn't. I thought all you guys lived in the Avengers' Tower full-time, so I thought I could still do it."</p><p>"Until you got caught," said Steve. "Unfortunately, I think that's the case for most thieves, isn't it? You think you've gotten away with something right up until you get caught?"</p><p>"Yeah, I guess," Lang muttered, wringing his hands. "So… are you guys gonna turn me over to the FBI now or something?"</p><p>Steve looked over at Tony, who responded with a quick shake of his head. Turning Lang over to the authorities would accomplish a whole bunch of nothing, and besides, it was Hank Pym he was really after. Not this stuttering, bumbling, Captain America fanboy.</p><p>"I don't think that'll be necessary, Mr Lang," said Steve. "But we will be asking some things of you before we allow you to leave."</p><p>"Oh, thank God!" Lang rushed out. Then he froze, eyeing Steve nervously. "Um… what kind of things?"</p><p>"Well, first of all, we're gonna need to keep the suit," Tony said. "At least for awhile."</p><p>"Yeah, okay, but I don't think that's gonna work," Lang said. "You see, if Hank doesn't stop this Darren Cross guy, then—"</p><p>"We'll be happy to put Mr Pym in touch with Maria Hill, one of our deputy directors here at SHIELD," said Steve. "I'm sure she'll be able to figure out a way to keep this Cross person from trying to do… whatever it is he's trying to do."</p><p>"Ohh, Hank's not gonna like that," warned Lang. "No offence, but I don't think he likes SHIELD very much."</p><p>"Well, that's just too damn bad," said Tony, rather triumphantly. "'Cause at the moment I don't see that he has a choice."</p><p>"That's right. He does not," Steve said, and <em>damn</em> if his deep, sexy-as-hell Captain's voice wasn't making it nearly impossible for Tony to maintain some semblance of cool. "The Avengers do not take kindly to being attacked, Mr Lang, which is exactly what Mr Pym coerced you into doing. It is only by our good graces that we're not pressing formal charges against you both."</p><p>"And I know Hank will be extremely grateful for your good graces, Cap—Captain Ameri—Steve—I mean, Captain Rogers, but—"</p><p>"But, nothing," Tony said. He was rapidly approaching the end of his patience with the whole thing. "And secondly, we're also gonna hold on to the particles."</p><p>"Oh," said Lang, sounding like he'd just been punched in the gut. "Um…"</p><p>"And again, Pym doesn't get a choice in the matter," Tony said. "I'm sure he's got plenty more of 'em at that house of his."</p><p>"Not sure that they're much good for anything without the suit," muttered Lang. "But yeah, I think he does."</p><p>"Well, then he probably won't miss these too much," said Tony. He looked over at his husband, attempting to bat his eyelashes without being too obvious. "Are we done here?"</p><p>Steve's blue eyes crinkled at the corners, his lips curling into the slightest of smiles. "Yes, I think so. We'll arrange for transportation back to California for you, Mr Lang."</p><p>"Yeah," Lang said softly. "Um… thanks." He got to his feet, looking so downtrodden and defeated that Tony felt a sharp pang of remorse. While he was still pretty pissed that Lang—and Pym as well—had been arrogant enough to believe that they could break into a Stark home, he could understand Lang's desperation in wanting to see his child that had led to him agreeing to perform yet another criminal act. If Tony had ever found himself in a similar situation with Peter's mother—if she'd ever even bothered to show her face again after he was born—there would've been no lengths that he wouldn't have gone to in order to see Peter again. Even if it had meant having to beg, borrow, or steal, Tony would've done it.</p><p>Standing to his feet, Tony pulled out his phone. "JARVIS, exactly how much does Mr Lang here owe in back child support?"</p><p>"Mr Lang owes twenty thousand, three hundred and forty-four dollars and thirty-eight cents, sir," answered JARVIS. "As of today."</p><p>Tony glanced over at Steve, raising an eyebrow in question. <em>Should we?</em></p><p>Steve smiled so widely that his dimple decided to make an appearance. <em>Yes, sweetheart. We definitely should.</em></p><p>"Uhh… can I—can I ask you—um… do you two do that a lot?" Lang asked, narrowing his eyes.</p><p>"Do what?" asked Steve.</p><p>"Uh… <em>that</em>," Lang said as he gestured between Tony and Steve. "That whole thing where you have a complete conversation with just your eyebrows? 'Cause let me just say that that is really, really cool, and I am way jealous."</p><p>"Yeah, okay," Tony said quickly. "JARVIS, go ahead and cut a check for the full amount to… what's your ex-wife's name again?"</p><p>"Ahh, M-Maggie?" Lang said. "Maggie Lang? Uhh, you're—you're not—are you—?"</p><p>"Maggie Lang, J," Tony cut in. "L A N G, in San Francisco. You got her?"</p><p>"I do indeed, sir. The check will arrive in approximately one hour via courier."</p><p>"Thanks." Tony turned back to Lang, narrowing his eyes. "Now, am I correct in assuming that since you were able to hack into the bank records of those idiots that you stole from, that you're pretty good with cyber security?"</p><p>Lang's jaw dropped to his knees. "Uhh, yeah? I—I guess… yeah. I'm pretty good. Why?"</p><p>"JARVIS, also add Mr Scott Lang to the SI payroll as a consultant in cyber security. Monthly salary of… what, ten thousand should be enough to live on in San Fran, shouldn't it?"</p><p>"Uhh, yeah!" exclaimed Lang. "But—are you <em>seriously</em>—?"</p><p>"The consultant period will last for a total of nine months, or until you're able to find other employment, whichever is earlier," Tony stated. "Now, do you have any leads on how you might translate some of your legitimate skills into a possible career, Mr Lang?"</p><p>Lang shook his head, looking like he'd been knocked in the face by the Hulk. "Uhh, yeah! I do, actually. I've been talking with a few buddies of mine about opening up a home security company. I figured no one knows better how to secure a home than a bunch of people who're used to breaking in to 'em, so—"</p><p>"All right, all right, I don't need to hear the entire pitch." Tony stepped forward, entering Lang's personal space. "Mr Lang, I shouldn't have to tell you that all of this is contingent upon the fact that you will swear, for the record right here and now, to not <em>ever</em> attempt to enter any Avengers facility without the express, face-to-face verbal permission of either Steve or myself. Is that clear?"</p><p>"Yes, Mr Stark," Lang said rapidly. "It is very, very clear. Like, crystal clear. I swear it. For the record."</p><p>"Good," said Steve. "Now, as soon as JARVIS has completed your travel arrangements, you can be on your way."</p><p>"I only require Mr Lang's signature for his employment paperwork," replied JARVIS. "Once that is complete, there is a car waiting at the building's entrance to transport him to the airport."</p><p>"Sounds good, J." Tony held out his phone, indicating for Lang to sign his electronic W-2, stepping back once he was done. "Someone from our cyber security department will contact you tomorrow with your first assignment, understood?"</p><p>"Yes, I understand," Lang said, nodding like a bobble-head doll. He held out his hand, awkwardly glancing between Tony and Steve. Steve took it first, squeezing it just hard enough for Lang to gulp. "Ah, I can't tell you both how grateful I am. I mean it. This… you have no idea what this means to me."</p><p>"I think we do, Mr Lang," Steve said as Tony shook Lang's hand. "There's nothing wrong with giving someone a second chance, as I'm sure Mr Pym tried to explain to you. But those second chances should never lead you right back into what got you into trouble in the first place, as I'm sure you'll now agree."</p><p>"Yes, C-Captain Rogers," said Lang. "Ah, very much so."</p><p>"Good," said Tony. "The guard outside will accompany you out to the waiting car. Have a safe flight home."</p><p>"And you as well, Mr Stark." With a final nod, Lang turned towards the door, pausing with his hand on the doorknob. "Um… are you guys gonna call Hank, or should I? 'Cause I'm sure he's wondering what—"</p><p>"Mr Pym will be hearing from Maria Hill within the hour, Mr Lang," said Steve. "We'll take it from here."</p><p>Lang practically collapsed in relief. "Oh, thank you. Um… after what happened, I'm not sure if he'd even wanna talk to me again, and—"</p><p>"Have a nice day, Mr Lang," Tony said, effectively ending the conversation. As soon as Lang disappeared with the guard, Tony slumped against Steve's side, closing his eyes as Steve's arm wrapped around his shoulders.</p><p>"Let's not do this again anytime soon, yeah?" he said as Steve kissed the top of his head. "In fact, I'd really prefer to never have to do it again. Like, ever."</p><p>"Never again sounds fine to me, mo grá," Steve replied. He twisted around so he was facing Tony, smiling widely as he drew Tony close. "I am so proud of how you handled that, though. That could've gone down pretty ugly, but you handled it with a lot of grace."</p><p>"Mmm. A bit more than you were expecting?" Tony said, with a rather conspiratorial grin.</p><p>"Well… yeah," Steve admitted. "Especially with how stressed you were about it."</p><p>Tony shrugged, running his tongue across his bottom lip. "Eh, I can understand the guy wanting to be with his kid. And that feeling of being trapped into something that you're damn good at even if you know it's not quite right… you know, I've been there, done that."</p><p>"Is that how you felt running your company for all those years?" Steve asked gently. "Like you were trapped?"</p><p>"Well, yeah," answered Tony. "I mean, Obie had been drilling it into my head pretty much from the very second I found out that my parents had been killed that I had to keep on doing what Howard had been doing, or I'd end up being an even bigger disappointment to him than I already was."</p><p>"Tony," Steve said with a frown. "I know you and Howard didn't get along that well, but I doubt that he was disappointed in you."</p><p>"Oh, you'd better believe he was," Tony said. "Not only did I hear that he was almost every single day, but I could see it in his eyes whenever he looked at me. The guy pretty much hated me because I wasn't you."</p><p>Steve made a sort of choked off noise in his throat, and Tony cringed as his mind finally caught up with his mouth. "Oh, geez, honey, I didn't—I didn't mean—"</p><p>"Yes, you did," Steve said softly. "And you know that I don't blame you for it. I just really wish that it wasn't true."</p><p>"Well, it is. And that's not your fault. It's just… how it is. But yeah, there were plenty of times when I'd look over at Pete while I was working, sitting there in his little cordoned-off play area in my office, and wonder what the hell I was doing to him. You know, one of the first words that he ever said was 'rocket'? His very first one was 'Dada', which, you know, made me pretty damn proud, but 'rocket' wasn't too long after that. And, I don't know, it just didn't sit right with me. But at the time, the company was all that I knew, and I was hell-bent on making sure that if by some chance something happened to me, Pete would be taken care of. And that meant I had to make sure that Obie stayed in his lane."</p><p>"So he wouldn't try to take it from you," Steve murmured. "That's understandable, sweetheart."</p><p>"Yeah, but I'm sure if I'd really wanted to, I could've figured something out. Some way to stop making weapons long before Pete and I nearly got blown to kingdom come," said Tony. "I just didn't try hard enough."</p><p>"No, you were doing what you thought was best for your son," Steve said firmly. He slid his hand underneath Tony's chin, tipping his head up to meet his eyes. "No parent should ever feel guilty for that, sweetheart. And especially not such an excellent father as yourself."</p><p>Tony scoffed, scowling as he remembered the look of pure horror on Obie's face during that fateful press conference when he announced that he was shutting down his weapons manufacturing, and the contrasting look of awe and pride in Peter's innocent brown eyes.</p><p>That was all Tony had ever wanted. For his sweet, beloved boy to look at him like he loved him, and was proud of him.</p><p>That he was proud to be the son of Tony Stark.</p><p>Tony had never been able to look at Howard that way. Not that Howard ever seemed to have given a rat's ass, but Peter… Tony was absolutely certain that he would shrivel up and die right there on the spot if he ever saw even a glimmer of the abject disdain in Peter's eyes that he'd regularly thrown Howard's way.</p><p>"That's never going to happen, mo grá," Steve murmured. "I promise."</p><p>A knot rose in Tony's throat as he nodded, eyeing Steve through his lashes. "How in the hell do you do that?"</p><p>"Do what?"</p><p>"That," Tony said, waving his hand at the air. "That thing you do where you read my mind. Make me feel like I'm walking around with a cartoon bubble above my head or something. I've seen you do with it Pete a bunch of times too, and I don't remember ever reading anything about telepathy being one of the side effects of the Project Rebirth serum, so, <em>Captain, </em>how do you do it?"</p><p>Steve tipped his head, a soft smile playing on his lips as he trailed the pad of his thumb across Tony's cheekbone, sending a shiver of heat down his spine. It was incredible how worked up Tony could get from such a simple affectionate touch.</p><p>"It's your eyes, mo grá," he finally said. "No matter what you say, your eyes can never lie. At least, not to me. And since Peter's eyes are the same as yours, his can't lie either."</p><p>"No, he can't, can he?" said Tony. "That kid couldn't tell a convincing lie if his life depended on it."</p><p>"Your eyes are one of the first things I ever noticed about you, when I first saw your picture in your SHIELD file," added Steve. "You and Peter both. I remember thinking, how could such a handsome, wealthy, and successful man have such sad, troubled eyes?"</p><p>"Really?" Tony asked. "You thought I was handsome way back then?"</p><p>"Actually, I thought you were beautiful, " Steve said as an adorable pink blush crept up his neck to his cheeks. "And as soon as I thought it, I felt ashamed." He shrugged, shaking his head. "I didn't know at the time that it was okay for me to think that about another man. It'd been taboo my entire life, and—"</p><p>"Well, thank goodness for our modern views on sexuality, hmm?" said Tony. He rose up onto his tiptoes, pressing a soft but lingering kiss to Steve's lips, one that had both of their hearts thudding by the time they broke apart. "And thank goodness that Pete took it upon himself to inform you of those modern views."</p><p>"Yes, thank goodness for Peter," Steve agreed, sneaking a quick glance at the wall clock. "And if we get going right now, we should be able to get back into the city in time to pick him up from school."</p><p>Tony grinned, pecking Steve's lips one final time. "Well, then, <em>Captain, </em>let's get out of here."</p><p>"Sounds good." Steve held out his arm, which Tony eagerly took as they headed out of the room and back up to the main floor, nearly running headlong into Nick Fury as they stepped off the elevator.</p><p>"Ah, just the two gentlemen I was hoping to find," Fury said, with that dumb, shit-eating grin on his face that Tony had despised for years. "Do you guys have a minute?"</p><p>"We have exactly one," Tony said shortly. "Otherwise we'll be late getting back to the city to pick up Pete."</p><p>"Well, I promise this'll only take a minute, and then you can both be on your way." Leading them into the same conference room that they'd stopped off in earlier, Fury closed the door, crossing his arms. "I've just received word from King T'Challa that the Wakandan government has decided to formally open a diplomatic dialogue with SHIELD, one that also includes your team."</p><p>"Just with us, sir?" asked Steve. "Not with the United States as a whole?"</p><p>"That's right, Captain. Just with us," said Fury. "King T'Challa was quite impressed with your team when you spoke down in Namibia, but given the incursion that followed and the people who were behind that incursion, he's at the moment reluctant to extend that diplomatic relationship to the entire country until the United States can assure him without hesitation that all of HYDRA's agents and interests have been completely purged."</p><p>Tony's eyebrows immediately shot up. "Now wait just a goddamn minute, Nick. You promised me after Steve got attacked that all of HYDRA was finally accounted for, and now—"</p><p>"And they are, Tony," Fury stated. "But pardon me if I'm trying to be just a bit more cautious with the king of a formerly very reclusive country."</p><p>"Oh, so Steve doesn't deserve that same caution?" snapped Tony. "And why is—?"</p><p>He was cut off by his husband's fingers curling around his arm. "Tony, this isn't getting us anywhere," Steve said. He sucked in a deep breath, turning to Fury. "What exactly does this mean, Director?"</p><p>"At the moment, not too much," Fury said with a shrug. "However, if something were to happen—"</p><p>"Like another attack from space?" Tony said.</p><p>Fury shot him a deep scowl. "Yes, Tony, something like that. And if that were to happen, then SHIELD and the Avengers would be able to coordinate with the Wakandan government to ascertain the best type of response."</p><p>"Well," Steve said after a short pause. "Then that's good. Thank you, Director."</p><p>"I agree," said Fury. "And you're welcome. Now, I'm sure I don't have to remind you that this information is only on a need-to-know basis. You have permission to share it with your team, Captain, but no one else."</p><p>"Copy that," Steve said softly.</p><p>"And that includes Pete, right?" Tony asked. "I know he's not technically part of the team, but—"</p><p>"Are you sure you can promise the boy's confidence?" Fury asked. "No offence, but Peter doesn't exactly have the best track record when it comes to secrets."</p><p>"Tony and I will discuss it and let you know, Director," Steve said. "Is there anything else?"</p><p>"Not about that." Fury let out a sigh, rubbing at his temples. "I'm not sure if I should berate you or thank you for lobbing that Hank Pym issue our way. We've been trying to get our hands on that tech of his for years, but I'm not sure anyone's up for the headaches that are sure to come with trying to deal with him."</p><p>"Well, that's what you get for letting Pym walk away in the first place," Tony said, rather smugly. "Just blame it on Howard and you'll be fine."</p><p>Fury rolled his eye. "Yeah, thanks."</p><p>"I'll let you know what Bruce and I come up with once we have a chance to take a look at his stuff, okay?" said Tony as he headed for the door. His patience with Nick Fury usually bordered on nonexistent, and he and Steve really did need to get going.</p><p>"I'll be waiting!" Fury called as they exited the room. Tony wrinkled his nose, tightening his grip on Steve's arm. <em>Yeah, I'm sure you will.</em></p><p>"Do you really think you and Bruce will be able to crack Pym's formula?" Steve asked after they had gathered up his shield and the particles and piled into his truck, heading down I-81 towards the city.</p><p>"Oh, hell yeah," answered Tony. "Hank Pym may think of himself as the same kind of genius that Howard or Arnim Zola were, but he's really more lucky than intelligent. That's the main reason why he kept that formula so secret. It was pretty much all he had, and he was afraid that if it ever got out, he'd be left in the dark."</p><p>"Well, I know I don't know him very well, or even at all," said Steve. "But even the fact that he tried to coerce Scott Lang into trying to steal from us doesn't sit well with me. From what you've told me, Pym's pretty wealthy, so why couldn't he have done for Scott what you did for him?"</p><p>"'Cause he's an asshole, honey," Tony said plainly. "Just like Howard was an asshole. And they didn't like each other because they were both the same kind of asshole."</p><p>Steve grinned, sliding his hand across the console to cover Tony's knee. "Well, like I said. I was really proud of what you did for Scott today. You gave him a job and made it possible for him to see his daughter in the span of only a couple of minutes. Tony, he's going to get his entire life back on track now, and it's all thanks to you."</p><p>Tony scoffed. "Ah. You're making it sound like I raised him from the dead or something."</p><p>"I'm sure he thinks that you did, mo grá," Steve said. "And I'm just glad I was there to witness it."</p><p>Tony smiled softly as he glanced over at his husband, his breath hitching as he took him in. Steve's thick blond hair was tucked under a bright blue New York Mets baseball hat, and he was wearing the wire-rimmed, aviator sunglasses that Tony adored. That combined with the way his left hand was resting right at twelve o'clock on the steering wheel and the way the dimple in his right cheek was staring so boldly in Tony's direction that it may as well have been a flashing neon sign… it was taking entirely too much of Tony's willpower to keep his hands to himself so Steve could drive.</p><p>He was just so. Goddamn. <em>Hot!</em></p><p>"Holy shit," Tony whispered as he brought his hand to cover Steve's, interlacing their fingers. "Captain Rogers, pardon me for being so forward, but I do have to say that you are just fucking gorgeous."</p><p>Steve's dimple grew even deeper. "Oh, yeah?" he said, rather cheekily. "Well, then, Mr Stark, what would you say to becoming my fella? Is that a prospect that you might consider?"</p><p>"Hmm," Tony said with a smirk. "I'm sure you could entice me, a hot, sweet guy like yourself. And I'm also sure that something like a blowjob would only add to that enticement."</p><p>Steve barked out a laugh, his fingers tightening around Tony's. "I'm sure I could arrange for something like that," he said as he shot Tony a look that was pure smouldering intensity. "As soon as Peter goes to bed tonight, okay?"</p><p>"Mmm," Tony murmured as he brushed his thumb across Steve's knuckles. "You think we could convince him to go to bed at say… seven or so?"</p><p>"Ahh, probably not without revealing our sinister plan, sweetheart," said Steve.</p><p>"No, probably not," agreed Tony. "Ah well, who knows. Maybe he'll be extra tired tonight. It was the first day back at school."</p><p>"Yeah, maybe. We can hope."</p><p>As it turned out, Peter was a bit tired from school, but unfortunately perked up considerably when Tony informed him that he was going to be working with him and Bruce to crack the formula for the Pym Particles.</p><p>"You mean, these could make me as small as a real spider?" Peter asked once they were home, his pure, boyish delight warming Tony's heart like a heater as he studied the vial of reddish-pink dots. "Dad, that's so cool!"</p><p>"Yeah, but we're not trying it out on anyone until we're a hundred and ten percent sure that we're right, bud," said Tony. "And that's not gonna be for awhile. Okay?"</p><p>"Oh, yeah, I know that," Peter said. "But when can we start?"</p><p>"Well… Uncle Bruce said he's free tomorrow, so—"</p><p>"Yes!" exclaimed Peter. "As soon as I get home from school!"</p><p>"You got it, buddy," Tony said as he ruffled Peter's already unruly curls. "Go on and start your homework now, yeah? Papa should be home soon with dinner."</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter said, obediently heading over to his workstation and pulling out his trigonometry textbook. Steve had gone out with Bucky and Sam to run some errands, promising to bring Peter's favourite pizza home for dinner afterwards, so Tony headed over to his own workstation, slipping the vial of particles under his holographic projector.</p><p>"Okay, JARVIS, let's see if we can get a basic backbone here, yeah?"</p><p>"Yes, sir." A couple seconds later a blue hologram appeared in front of Tony, one that appeared to be an organic structure.</p><p>"All right, that's kinda weird," Tony said as he ran his fingers down his goatee. "Aren't these things supposed to be subatomic?"</p><p>"That is the theory, sir," JARVIS said. "However, without a copy of the structure for reference, I cannot be certain."</p><p>"Well…" Tony slowly walked around the hologram, muttering to himself as he took it in. The particle was definitely complex, but didn't appear to be any more so than the calculations for building his miniature arc reactor inside the Afghanistan cave had been.</p><p>And if he could build an arc reactor in a cave with nothing but a box of scraps, then he and Peter could certainly figure out the formula that produced this silly little particle. And while he still had no idea what he was actually going to use them for, if anything, Tony had always enjoyed a challenge. Especially one that allowed him to wipe the smirk off the face of a man he'd always despised.</p><p>If nothing else, it would serve as a decent distraction, something both he and Peter could use at the moment. Hearing that his girlfriend was going to be spending the entire upcoming summer on another continent had stung him badly, and anything Tony could do to help Peter cheer up he figured would be more than welcome.</p><p>"All right, J," he said, squaring his shoulders as he leaned closer to the hologram.</p><p>"Let's do this."</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em> <strong>Stop by and see me on tumblr, I’m <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geekymoviemom">geekymoviemom</a> and <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geeky-writes">geeky-writes</a> there 😊 </strong> </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As always, I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment!  💖</p><p>Emoji Key for those who don't know what to say in the comments!<br/>❤ = you wish you could kudos again<br/>😭 = I got you right in the feels<br/>🔥 = this was so hot/ sweet!<br/>🐰 = it’s so fluffy!<br/>😣 = the angst is killing me!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>The first thing Tony noticed as his mind swam back towards consciousness was the pain. Burning, throbbing pain that spider webbed across his back, neck, and shoulders in such an excruciating fashion that he couldn't bring himself to even attempt to move.</em>
</p><p>"<em>S-Steve?" he managed to sputter, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he tried to convince himself to move his arm, just a few centimeters so he could flatten his palm on what was left of the floor and try and push himself up. He had no idea where Steve or Peter were, or anyone else, for that matter. All he knew is that he somehow had to get himself up.</em></p><p>"<em>JARVIS?" Tony tried next, not surprised when the UI didn't answer. The attack had been swift and vicious, and from what he could tell, their home was pretty much a complete loss.</em></p><p>
  <em>Gritting his teeth, Tony attempted to move his arm again, this time managing to get his hand underneath him enough to raise his head. The air around him was thick with smoke and ash, with debris still falling from the destroyed ceiling and walls. A choked sound forced its way from his scorched lungs, singed from the burning fires that surrounded him, the crackling noise of splitting wood and plaster only adding to his overall sense of panic.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Steve?" he called again as his bleary eyes scanned the smouldering mountains of rubble that had once been their spacious upstate home. Steve had been walking towards him when the attack came, that soft smile on his face that always meant a kiss was incoming, probably either on his cheek or his forehead. Tony had always loved how free Steve was with his affection, the soft kisses and touches that came as easily to him as breathing. Steve never passed up an opportunity to demonstrate to Tony how much he loved him, no matter who else happened to be watching.</em></p><p>
  <em>Because, as Tony had realised as a very young child, words were just empty vessels, meaning nothing without actions to back them up, and Tony had never known anyone who could back up his words better than Steve. When he said "I love you", Tony not only believed those words with every single fibre of his being, he also felt them, deep down in places he never even knew existed before Steve came along.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And now, Tony had no idea where Steve was, or even if he was still alive, and it was all he could do to keep his panic down to a dull roar. He couldn't allow it to succeed in smothering him, not while there was still a chance, however infinitesimal, that Steve was okay.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It had come out of nowhere, as Tony supposed most attacks tended to do. They had been about to eat dinner with the rest of the team, like they did on most of their weekends up at the Compound. It was taco night, one of Sam's specialities, with the sharp tang of jalapeños permeating throughout the Compound's main floor as Tony made his way down the hallway from his lab. He and Peter had just had a massive breakthrough in their work with the Pym Particles, and Tony had been practically vibrating with excitement, ready to tell Steve all about it as they ate together.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Except, he never got the chance. Because barely three steps into the kitchen, Tony was suddenly blasted backwards, slamming against the hallway wall just before it collapsed into a heap on top of him. The impact was strong enough to knock him out, for how long, Tony had no idea. All he knew was that between the dust-filled air, the excruciating pain in his body, and his own rapidly-growing panic, Tony had no fucking idea where his suit was.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He'd taken his nanite case off while he and Peter were working in the lab, and, like an absolute idiot, he had neglected to put it back on before leaving.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And now, when he needed it most, his suit was nowhere to be found.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Again.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Steve?" he managed to force past his swollen throat, as parched as the sand in the Afghanistan desert. "Honey? Where are you?"</em></p><p>
  <em>Tears welled in Tony's scratchy eyes when no answer came. There was no way that Steve wouldn't answer him unless he was unconscious. Or—</em>
</p><p>"<em>No!" Tony rasped, the word like a jagged dagger as it tore past his lips.</em></p><p>
  <em>He couldn't afford to think like that. Not yet. Not while there was still the smallest sliver of hope remaining.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>With an effort that could only be called monumental, Tony managed to push himself up to a semi-sitting position, blinking as he swiped soot and sweat from his eyes. Based on the angles and positioning of the rubble, Tony concluded that the blast had originated from a very high altitude, likely even extra-atmospheric.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And that could only mean the Chitauri. Over four years after the Avengers managed to beat them back during the Battle of New York, they had finally returned to finish their takeover of Earth. And they had begun by first obliterating their biggest obstacle. The Avengers.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Breathing in a slow, deep breath, Tony called Steve's name yet again, his heart leaping when he heard a soft moan emanating from a nearby pile of debris.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Steve!" he said as he dragged himself over to his injured husband, his long, jean-clad legs partially covered by a section of what used to be the kitchen countertop. Tony gasped as he noticed a huge pool of blood on Steve's left pec, one that had completely soaked through the soft flannel button-down he was wearing, the one with the bright blue and green stripes that Tony had bought for him during their last trip to Ireland. Pressing his palm over the spot, Tony jumped as Steve let out a kind of strangled groan, his dust-covered lips smacking together as he attempted to open his eyes.</em></p><p>"<em>Ton—Tony," he whispered, so softly that Tony could barely hear him. "Tony, I—"</em></p><p>"<em>No, no, honey, don't try to talk, yeah?" Tony said as he carefully brushed Steve's bangs from his forehead. "I'm gonna get you out of here, okay? Just as soon as I can—"</em></p><p>"<em>No!" Steve cried, his eyebrows knitting together as he angled his head towards Tony, his blue eyes almost piercing in the moonlight streaming through the holes in the ceiling. "No!" he said again, his tone so detached and cold that Tony's blood froze, sending a violent shiver down his spine. "You—you're too late, Tony. It's over. You failed."</em></p><p>"<em>What?" Tony said on a gasp, Steve's harsh words hitting him like a blast to the chest. "Honey, no! We're gonna—"</em></p><p>"<em>I said, it's too late!" Steve repeated, followed immediately by a cough that was so soggy it sent a geyser of blood spurting from Steve's mouth. "You're too late! He's dead, Tony! He's dead, and it's all your fault!"</em></p><p>"<em>No!" Tony cried, each of Steve's words like an icepick to Tony's heart. "Honey, who's—"</em></p><p>
  <em>He was cut off as Steve suddenly shifted, just enough for Tony to notice the hands wrapped around Steve's other arm. The hands with the long, piano-player fingers that were just like his own. Dread smacked Tony like a solid brick wall as he followed the line of those fingers, up the skinny arms, shoulders, and neck to the face of his beloved boy, bloodied and bruised and far, far too still.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Oh God," Tony choked out, stamping down the dizziness threatening to knock him sideways as he brought his shaking hand up to cup Peter's cheek. His pale skin was as cold as ice, and his lips were as blue as they had been in the Afghanistan desert, when he was only barely clinging to life.</em></p><p>
  <em>Only now, he wasn't still clinging to life. He was—oh God, he was—</em>
</p><p>"<em>Oh no," Tony said, so softly that he wasn't even sure if he had actually spoken the words out loud or simply thought them. He trailed his fingertips across Peter's cheek, his heart lurching when Peter didn't respond. "Pete?" he said as he tried again. "Buddy, it's Daddy. It's okay, buddy, I'm right here. You just—you just need to wake up, and—"</em></p><p>"<em>I told you, it's too late," Steve cut in, a trickle of blood streaming from the side of his mouth to pool in his collar. His blue eyes were staring straight at Tony, and so completely devoid of emotion that they looked almost lifeless. "I tried—I tried to do what I could, Tony, but he's dead. He's dead because of you. You didn't save him."</em></p><p>"<em>No!" Tony stubbornly said, shaking his head. "No, no, no, no, no! Oh God, please, don't take him!" He shook Peter's shoulder, begging him to give him a sign, any sign that he was somehow still in there, that he was more than just the shell he'd left behind. "Please, don't take him from me! I can't—I can't live without him!" Tears welled in Tony's eyes, dripping onto Peter's forehead and cheeks, marking splotches in the layer of grime covering his pale skin. He had been so excited only moments ago, so happy that he'd been a part of Tony's important work for the team, and now—</em></p><p>
  <em>Now—</em>
</p><p>"<em>Pete! Please, buddy, wake up!" Tony begged, even as he knew it was fruitless. "Please, little buddy! Daddy's here. Everything's gonna be okay now."</em></p><p>
  <em>Everything's gonna be okay now. Daddy's here.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It's what Tony had always said to Peter whenever he was sick and had to go to the hospital. Peter had always hated hospitals. He'd always hated all of the scary sounds and the yucky smells and the scratchy blankets, always hated being constantly poked and prodded, hated the freezing cold metal stethoscopes against his chest and back and the stiff oxygen masks that dug into the skin around his mouth and nose.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Peter had absolutely hated being so sick all the time as a kid, and Tony had hated it just as much. But he never showed it. Peter was always far too perceptive, even as a toddler, and Tony never wanted him to have to suffer more than he already was.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>So he sucked it up, pretending that Peter's latest admission was just another adventure. Like the funny hobbit dude in that fantasy book Peter used to love, before his obsession with Harry Potter took hold.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It's okay, little buddy. Daddy's here.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And he always was, right there next to Peter's bed, holding his hand, rubbing his head, cuddling with him as best as he could so he could try and sleep. Because no matter what else was going on in Tony's life or how many company events he had on his schedule, whenever Peter was sick, Tony immediately dropped everything to be with him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It's okay, little buddy. Daddy's here.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>With Peter, Tony had always backed up his words.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But now his words were just that. Words. Empty vessels with no actions to back them up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Because he was too late. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>He had failed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And Peter Edwin Stark-Rogers, the son who had single-handedly brought Tony back from the brink of an explosive self-destruction, who had been the light in Tony's life for the last sixteen years, was gone.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A noise that was neither human nor animal worked its way up from Tony's lungs, only to jam in his throat as the last shards of strength he'd been clinging to abandoned him, and he listed to the left, dangerously close to tipping over. </em>
</p><p>"<em>Why?" he croaked, to whom, he had no idea. "Why, why, why?"</em></p><p>
  <em>Why him? He was the best of us!</em>
</p><p>"<em>You could've saved us, Tony," Steve suddenly said, his harsh words impaling Tony's heart like a knife. His blue eyes were staring straight ahead, his breaths growing shallower and shallower as he gripped Tony's forearm with the last of his strength.</em></p><p>"<em>Why didn't you do more?"</em></p><p>
  <em>And then, Steve's eyes rolled back into his head as all the remaining air whooshed from his lungs. His words, his final words, hung in the dusty air as if suspended, taunting Tony even as he tried to tear his gaze away. He squeezed his eyes closed, his limbs as heavy as leaden beams as he pitched forward, wishing for death to claim him as well.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Steve was right. Tony should have done more. Why didn't he do more?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Pressing his forehead over the gaping hole in Steve's chest, Tony gathered a handful of his husband's shirt in his fist, his tears wetting through the soft fabric as Steve's voice reverberated inside his head as if on a loop, taunting him for his gargantuan failure.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Please, take me instead," he begged, to whoever might be listening. "I can't—I can't live without them. I just can't."</em></p><p>
  <em>But no more words came. Their time had passed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A flash of bluish light suddenly illuminated the destroyed kitchen, prompting Tony to turn his head just as a hole opened up in the sky, one that looked exactly like the portal Loki had created on top of Avengers Tower.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Chitauri were on their way. And now, with the Avengers out of commission, they had free reign to take over the Earth.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And Tony couldn't bring himself to care. With Peter and Steve gone, none of it mattered anymore.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>With a choked sob, Tony twisted around, lying down in the rubble next to his son's body. Then he gathered him close, burying his nose into Peter's downy-soft curls just as the first shimmering flash lit up the sky, aiming directly for him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I'm so sorry, buddy, he thought as the bright beam of blue grew closer and closer. I should have done more—</em>
</p><p>Tony woke with a start, bolting upright on the bed as he struggled to draw in air. Droplets of sweat beaded across his forehead and nose as he wrapped his arms around his front, his eyes darting from the walls to the ceiling of his bedroom, searching for cracks. A few heartbeats later he heard a soft moan, causing him to jump as he looked down at his sleeping husband. Steve shifted slightly, his arm instinctively sliding across the bed as he searched for him. Tony and Steve usually slept so pressed up against each other it was difficult to tell who was who, with their arms and legs tangled together and Tony curled right into Steve's chest, where he could hear his heartbeat and feel his warm breath on his skin. Tony had grown so used to having Steve there in the bed with him in the last five years, reveling in his husband's warm body pressed up against him and the security that Steve's presence offered him, that he now couldn't sleep without him.</p><p>"Mmm," Steve mumbled, grimacing as Tony slid his freezing-cold palms across his husband's chest, searching for possible signs of injury. Usually it didn't take Steve this long to figure out that something was wrong, especially since Tony's nightmares tended to be noisy, with a lot of kicking and flailing around. Steve's Army- and serum-sharpened senses never allowed him to miss the fact that something wasn't quite right.</p><p>But this nightmare had been different. This time, there had been no words for Tony to scream, and no breath in his lungs with which to scream them, and as such, it was taking Steve a few extra seconds to catch on.</p><p>"Tony?" Steve said as his eyes fluttered open, narrowing again as he took Tony in. "Sweetheart, are you all right?"</p><p>"No!" Tony managed to choke out, startling as Steve's fingertips glided across the bare skin of his waist, his hand coming to rest in the curve of Tony's hip. Tony was still shivering violently, his lungs gasping for air that seemed far too hot and way too thin as he kicked at the blankets tangled around his legs, trying to shuck them off.</p><p>
  <em>I didn't—I didn't do enough. I need to do more.</em>
</p><p>But first he needed to get to Peter, to make sure that he wasn't dead.</p><p>"Get the hell off of me, goddamnit! I need to—I need to get to—"</p><p>"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Tony, hold on! Tell me what's wrong!" Steve said as propped himself up on his elbow, his other arm tightening around Tony's waist. His disheveled blond hair was sticking up in all directions, and he had such an adorable <em>what the fuck?</em> look on his face that Tony might have laughed if he hadn't been so thoroughly spooked. But at the moment, the only thought racing through Tony's mind was now that he had determined that Steve was fine, he had to get to Peter.</p><p>"Pete!" he cried, cursing the damned blanket that wouldn't unlatch from his right ankle. "Steve, I need—I need to get to Pete! I need to make sure that—"</p><p>"Okay, okay," Steve said, far too calmly for Tony's taste. "But sweetheart, it's only three thirty in the morning, and I'm sure that Peter's asleep, so—"</p><p>"No!" Tony shouted as he attempted to crawl over Steve's legs. Steve always slept closest to the door, yet another habit left over from his days in the Army. "No, he's not! He's—he's—oh God, he's—!" He grunted, jamming his knee hard into Steve's thigh when he refused to get the hell out of the way. "Goddamnit, Steve, move! I need—"</p><p>"Tony, I don't think this is a good idea!" Steve said firmly. He wrapped his arms around Tony's body, pinning his arms to his sides as he drew him close. "JARVIS, is Peter all right?"</p><p>"Master Peter is sleeping comfortably, Captain," answered JARVIS. "All vital signs are within his normal parameters."</p><p>"See, sweetheart? JARVIS says that Peter's just fine," Steve said. But Tony couldn't believe him. JARVIS had been overridden before, made to give out incorrect information that had led Tony astray, so Tony could not take his word for it now. He had to see Peter for himself.</p><p>"I don't—I don't believe him," grunted Tony as he struggled to break free from Steve's ironclad grasp. "Steve, let go of me, goddamnit! I need—I need—"</p><p>"Tony, I just want you to calm down first!" protested Steve. "Please, sweetheart! If you go bursting into Peter's room like this, all you're gonna do is scare him!"</p><p>"Then he should be scared!" Tony screamed, so loudly that his own ears started to ring. Steve immediately froze, his lips clamped together and his eyes squeezed tightly closed. It was a testament to his stubbornness that his grip on Tony didn't lessen in the slightest, even as Tony knew he would've liked nothing more than to shove Tony away from him. Steve absolutely hated any kind of shouting or screaming, not only because it hurt his serum-sensitive ears, but because it also reminded him way too much of being in battle.</p><p>Time seemed to pause for a moment or two as the soundwaves from Tony's panicked cry slowly dissipated, with Steve's thudding heart the only sound until JARVIS spoke up, quiet and tentative.</p><p>"Pardon me, sir, Captain," he said. "But Master Peter is inquiring if everything is all right?"</p><p>"Yes!" Steve said. "JARVIS, please tell him we're fine—"</p><p>"No!" Tony cut in, shaking his head. He looked towards their bedroom door, calling Peter's name. "Pete! Oh God, Pete, are you okay? Pete—!"</p><p>"What's going on in here?" Peter said as he suddenly appeared in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. Tony immediately launched himself at him, nearly knocking Steve over in his haste to reach the son that he loved beyond all logic or reason. Thankfully Steve recovered quickly, steadying Tony just enough to keep him from tripping as he stumbled over to Peter, pulling him into his arms.</p><p>"Oh God, Pete," he sobbed into Peter's wild curls. Peter let out a grunt as Tony tucked his head under his chin, gliding his palms up and down his boy's back.</p><p>"Dad, I'm fine," Peter said, muffled in Tony's chest. "It's the middle of the night, what's going on—?"</p><p>"Your father had another nightmare, little guy," Steve said gently as he came up behind Tony, curling his strong arms around them both. He drew them back onto the bed, holding them as tightly as he dared while Tony breathed in the comforting scent of Peter's hair, the green apple shampoo he'd always adored.</p><p>"Yeah, I kinda figured that much," answered Peter. "But what—?"</p><p>"Nevermind that now," Tony said firmly. Peter didn't need to know any of the gory details, the kid was already spooked enough as it was. "I'm sorry I woke you, buddy, but I just—"</p><p>"Dad, it's fine," Peter said. "I just wanted to make sure that you and Papa were okay."</p><p>"We're okay, Peter," said Steve. "You don't need to worry about us."</p><p>"Yeah," Peter said with a frown, not at all convincingly. "So I've heard."</p><p>"Why don't we tuck you back into bed now, all right?" Steve said. He patted Tony on the shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "So he can get back to sleep? It is a school night, so—"</p><p>"Yeah," said Tony. "Yeah, that's—that's fine. I just—" He pressed a kiss to the top of Peter's head, squeezing him one final time. "I just—I just needed to make sure you were okay, bud. That's all."</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter said softly. "But why wouldn't I have been?"</p><p>"Because—" Tony started, the rest of his words dying on his lips as Peter raised his head, looking up at him with his huge, doe-like eyes. There was no way Tony could tell him what he'd seen, it would scare him half to death, and the last thing that Peter needed was even more stress and worry for his dads piled on top of his skinny shoulders. No matter how strong those shoulders happened to be.</p><p>He may be a super-kid, but he was still just a kid. And he deserved to keep whatever innocence he could for as long as possible.</p><p>"It was just a nightmare, little guy," Steve murmured. "You know how those tend to be."</p><p>"Oh, yeah," Peter whispered, and Tony winced. At only sixteen, the poor kid had already been through enough nightmare-inducing traumas for three lifetimes.</p><p>Yet another rung in the skyscraping ladder of Tony's guilt.</p><p>"All right then, little guy, off you go," said Steve. He planted a quick kiss to Peter's forehead, then guided him down the hall to his room, one hand holding Tony's and his other resting protectively on Peter's shoulder. Tony's hands were still shaking as they tucked him in, and he had to force himself to smile as he kissed him goodnight for the second time.</p><p>"Goodnight, bud," he whispered. "I'm sorry I scared you."</p><p>"You didn't scare me, Dad," Peter said, rather petulantly. "I'm just… glad you're okay."</p><p>Tony nodded as he stepped back, allowing Steve to take his turn. His throat tightened as he heard the two of them softly whispering, with Steve reassuring Peter several times that he would make sure Tony was okay.</p><p>His own kid was worried about him, and it was all his fault.</p><p>
  <em>I need to be doing more.</em>
</p><p>As soon as they exited Peter's room, Steve took Tony's hand, trying to guide him back down the hall to their bedroom.</p><p>"No, honey," Tony said as he tried to work his hand loose. "I need to get to the lab."</p><p>But Steve didn't even break stride as he shook his head, his grip on Tony's hand tightening. "No, you don't. Not tonight."</p><p>"Not tonight? What the hell do you mean—?"</p><p>"I mean, not tonight!" Steve said through clenched teeth. He huffed out a sharp breath as he walked Tony into their bedroom, not giving him another opportunity to protest. "JARVIS, please soundproof the room."</p><p>"What—?"</p><p>"Very well, Captain," said JARVIS.</p><p>"You are not seriously thinking about—" Tony started, only to be cut off by Steve's fingers pressing against his lips.</p><p>"No, I am not," Steve said firmly. "But what I am thinking about is that I need you to tell me exactly what's going on here, and I need you to tell me right now." He stepped back, raking his fingers through his mussed-up hair. "Tony… it is so hard for me to see you like this, to see you so stressed out, and always beating yourself up for everything that's happened, and things that haven't even happened… and not know how to help you. And you say that I can read you mind, and yes, I think I sometimes can because I know you so well and I love you so much, but Tony, I can't—I can't read this. And if I can't read things, then I can't remember them, and—and if I can't remember them, that means—"</p><p>"That means you can't anticipate, and if you can't anticipate, you can't plan," Tony finished.</p><p>Steve's head snapped back, his blue eyes glassy as he nodded.</p><p>"Yes," he said softly. "And if I can't plan, then…"</p><p>He trailed off, not finishing his thought, but Tony didn't need him too. He already knew what Steve was getting at. And it made sense, he supposed. Not only did Steve come from a time where the father of the house was supposed to have all of the answers—or if he didn't, he was supposed to fake it, like Howard—he also was a world-renowned military strategist. During the war, it was Steve's strategic missions with the Howling Commandos that were responsible for taking out the entire Nazi deep science division, even sacrificing himself in order to thwart the psychotic Johann Schmidt's carefully laid plans.</p><p>Or at least, <em>most </em>of the Nazi deep science division, as the entire world became painfully aware of with the reveal of Project Insight.</p><p>But that was an argument for another night.</p><p>"Please, sweetheart," Steve pleaded as he gripped Tony's elbows. "Can't we please just go back to bed?"</p><p>Tony's bottom lip was trembling as he stared at the wall over Steve's shoulder, struggling to form words. The problem with just going back to bed was that Tony was absolutely certain that even if he tried, he would not be able to sleep again, and it wouldn't be fair of him to keep Steve awake with all of his tossing and turning. Steve may have liked to remind Tony that he didn't need as much sleep as a quote, <em>normal person</em>, but Tony knew him better than that. As much as he still tried to hide it, constantly wrestling with his own persistent demons took a lot more out of Steve than he liked to let on, and adding Tony's in on top of everything else only made it that much worse.</p><p>Then again, Tony was also certain that if he went to work in the lab, Steve would simply follow him there, which would also mean that he wouldn't be sleeping.</p><p>"Sometimes resting can be just as important as sleeping, mo grá," Steve murmured as he trailed the pad of his thumb across Tony's cheekbone. "And sometimes rest can even lead to sleep, if you allow it."</p><p>Tony sighed as he looked into the shining blue eyes of his husband, eyes that displayed only love, acceptance, and concern in their depths. None of the suspicion and disdain that Tony had seen in his dream.</p><p>
  <em>Because it was just a dream. Just another bad dream.</em>
</p><p>"JARVIS, the drone system is online, right?" Tony asked.</p><p>"Yes, sir," answered JARVIS. "All Tower drones are currently operating in their usual stand-by capacity."</p><p>Tony nodded, biting his lip as he tipped his head against Steve's chest. As long as the drones were online and functional, things should be okay until the morning.</p><p>"All right, honey," he said. "We can go back to bed."</p><p>"Thank you," Steve said, so sincerely that Tony had to blink back tears. Wordlessly, he climbed back onto their bed, taking his usual place in the centre as Steve curled his tall, strong body around him, his arm draped across Tony's waist.</p><p>"I love you, sweetheart," Steve whispered in Tony's ear. "Táimid chun é seo a fháil. Geallaim."</p><p>Too choked up to speak, Tony merely nodded, covering Steve's hand with his own as he closed his eyes. Tony knew better than to believe in promises, especially promises that were impossible to keep. But Steve's solemn vow that they were going to get through this—whatever <em>this</em> was—no matter what, was still enough to relax some of the iron-rod tension in his limbs, and despite his churning mind, he found himself actually starting to drift off.</p><p>"Has anyone ever told you that you're stubborn as hell?" Tony mumbled, still clinging to his last remaining dregs of consciousness.</p><p>He felt Steve smile against the back of his head. "I might've heard that a few times in my life, mo grá."</p><p>"Mmm. Only a few?"</p><p>"Well, maybe I was saving most of it for you," Steve answered as he patted Tony's hip. "Sleep now, sweetheart. I've got you."</p><p><em>I've got you.</em> It was what Steve always said whenever Tony or Peter were upset, or in trouble, or had had a bad dream. The first time Tony had ever heard him say it had been to Peter, right after he'd brought Peter back to life in Afghanistan, and since then had heard it far too many times to count.</p><p>And he had always been right. No matter the cost, ever since that day in the middle of the desert, Steve had always come through for them.</p><p>And now, Tony needed to do the same.</p><hr/><p>"All right, bud, I think we're ready to give this a go," Dad said as he tapped some final commands into his keyboard. "Everything look good over there?"</p><p>"Yep," Peter answered. "I think DUM-E's as ready as he'll ever be. Right, DUM-E?"</p><p>DUM-E gave a rather fearful warble in response, one that prompted Peter to give him a reassuring pat on his arm. "Aww, it's okay, boy," he said. "This isn't gonna hurt. Right, Dad?"</p><p>"Nope. Shouldn't hurt a bit," Dad said as he came back to the centre of the lab. "JARVIS, whenever you're ready."</p><p>"Very good sir," JARVIS said. "New Pym Particle test number one commencing in five… four… three… two… one… mark."</p><p>With a weird <em>whoosh</em>, DUM-E suddenly disappeared. Peter's eyes went wide as he dropped to his knees on the lab floor, using his magnifying glass to search for the bot he had loved since before he could talk. He was finally able to locate him right where he had been standing, now at about one-millionth of his previous size.</p><p>"Oh, hey there, tiny DUM-E," Peter softly said as DUM-E let out another distressed warble. "Don't worry, we'll get you back to normal in a sec, okay?"</p><p>"Pete?" Dad said as he came up behind him, squinting at the floor. "Is he still there?"</p><p>"Oh, yeah," said Peter. He handed his father the magnifying glass, pointing to the minuscule dot on the floor. "He's right there."</p><p>Dad groaned as he got down onto his knees on the floor, holding on to Peter's shoulder for leverage as he searched.</p><p>"Oh, yeah, there he is!" he exclaimed. "Hey, DUM-E! Good job there!"</p><p>DUM-E squeaked, obviously already over the entire thing, but it was so soft and high-pitched that Peter doubted Dad could even hear him.</p><p>"Can we make him big again now, Dad?" Peter asked. "I don't think he likes this too much."</p><p>"No, I don't imagine he does," Dad said as he ducked back behind his workstation. "Just give me a minute here, and…"</p><p>With another <em>whoosh</em>, DUM-E reappeared, whirring and warbling like R2-D2 on steroids as he motored back to his corner, seemingly unharmed by the particle experiment. Peter breathed out a sigh of relief. While he trusted his and Dad's calculations, the first experiment with a new piece of tech was always a bit nerve-wracking, and even more so when it involved people. Or beloved bots, as it were.</p><p>"So he doesn't seem to be any worse for wear," Dad said as he checked his readings. He shot Peter a rather satisfied smile. "I think we did it, Pete."</p><p>"Great!" said Peter. "So… what're we gonna do with 'em now?"</p><p>Dad shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Papa's not really interested in trying to incorporate shrinking tech into our training repertoire, and frankly, neither am I, so—"</p><p>"So this was just a 'let's see if we can do this' experiment, then?" Peter asked. "Just… 'cause?"</p><p>"There's nothing wrong with just sciencing for fun every now and then, Pete," Dad playfully retorted. "It's what all you kids do in that school of yours every day, isn't it?"</p><p>"Well… yeah, I guess," admitted Peter. "But that's mainly 'cause we're still learning the whole experiment process, and—"</p><p>"You mean, the rest of your classmates are still learning it, right, Pete?" Dad said. "'Cause I'm pretty sure you had the whole scientific method thing down pat by the time you were four."</p><p>Peter grinned, attempting a nonchalant shrug. "Well… maybe. I'm sure having you as a dad didn't hurt too much in that area."</p><p>To Peter's shock, instead of being pleased at his remark, Dad's face fell, like he was suddenly ashamed of something. He turned back to his workstation, mumbling under his breath as he typed.</p><p>"Dad? What's wrong?" Peter asked as he stepped over to him. "What'd I say?"</p><p>"Nothing's wrong, bud," Dad said, waving a dismissive hand. "I'm just—"</p><p>"You're just deflecting again, like you always do," Peter cut in, frowning. "You know, I'm not a little kid anymore. You don't need to tiptoe around me as much as you do."</p><p>"Who says I'm tiptoeing around anything?" Dad snapped. "I have never been known to—"</p><p>"But you are!" Peter exclaimed. "You are, and you know it! Dad, ever since the school year started you've been like this! I've seen it! I hear you pacing the halls at night, hear you and Papa bickering when he's trying to get you to stop and rest a bit, and it's just not getting better! So why can't you tell me what's going on?"</p><p>"Because I'm the adult, and you're the child, child!" Dad said, barely shy of shouting. "And since this is an adult problem, it's up to the adults to handle it!"</p><p>Peter shot him a deep scowl. "Okay, now you just sound like Papa."</p><p>"Well, Papa's a pretty smart guy, you know," Dad muttered. He dropped his chin to his chest, shaking his head. "Look, buddy, I'm sorry. I don't mean to get short with you, I'm just—"</p><p>"You're going bonkers, is what you're doing," Peter said. "And yeah, I know I'm not eighteen yet, like eighteen is some magical number when suddenly everything's gonna make sense or something, but I can still see that you're not good, Dad. And you haven't been good for a long time now, and it—it scares me. And it scares Papa too, he's just gotten better at hiding it."</p><p>Dad pursed his lips, shooting Peter a sharp glare over his shoulder. "I don't need either of you worrying about me, Pete. And Papa knows that too."</p><p>"Yeah, and that's not gonna happen, and you know it," stated Peter, groaning in frustration when Dad rolled his eyes. "Look, I know you hate it when I say stuff like this, so I'll just say it one more time and then shut up about it for now, okay?"</p><p>"Whatever," Dad grumbled.</p><p>Peter chose to let that one slide. "Dad, we just spent weeks trying to figure out how these silly particles work on the off chance that they might turn out to be helpful whenever what you keep dreaming about is gonna happen, happens. And that's fine, you know it is. You know I love doing stuff like this with you, so it's fine. But what's not fine is this thing you've got going on where you feel like you have to carry all of this crap by yourself. This is exactly how you were after Loki and the Chitauri came, Dad, I remember it. You were obsessed with making your suits, and obsessed with protecting us, and—"</p><p>"And look where it got us!" Dad shouted. He slammed his palm down onto the counter, causing Peter to jump. "All it got us was a blown-up house and your papa nearly shot to pieces!"</p><p>"But that wasn't your fault!" Peter cried. "Dad, it wasn't! It was HYDRA's!"</p><p>"Yeah, except then, instead of learning from my goddamn mistakes, I let HYDRA come in and snatch you right out from under my nose! And then they came and snatched my husband right out from under my nose! And goddamnit, Pete, that is just unacceptable! It cannot ever happen again, do you understand me? Never again! So if my nanite suits, and—and figuring out these stupid particles can somehow keep me from getting blindsided again, then that's what I'm gonna do!"</p><p>There was a pause as Dad turned away, typing furiously on his keyboard as Peter struggled with what to say next. He hadn't planned on getting into yet another argument, especially since his long-awaited weekend date with Gwen was supposed to start tomorrow. But he just couldn't stay quiet anymore. Despite everything that he and Papa were trying to do for Dad, none of it seemed to be helping, and he was only getting worse.</p><p>"Okay, Dad," Peter finally said. "I won't—I won't say anything else about it. Just remember that Papa and I, we're both here, and we both wanna help you. But we can't do that until you let us."</p><p>"Duly noted, bud," Dad said shortly. "Now, don't you have some homework to do?"</p><p>Peter let out a heavy sigh. It'd all fallen on deaf ears, just like he'd feared. "Yeah, I do. I'll go and get it."</p><p>"Good idea."</p><p>Unfortunately, Dad's poor attempt at bravado had Peter in such a bad mood the next morning that Gwen, who had been so excited about their upcoming trip to the Compound that she had accidentally let it slip in front of Ned, actually suggested to Peter that they postpone it instead. Peter immediately vetoed that idea, assuring Gwen that even if he did end up spending the weekend with his dads as usual, nothing would change.</p><p>If anything, Peter's constant presence would probably only make things worse. It'd been a long time since Dad and Papa had had any alone time, and Peter knew that Papa was especially looking forward to it.</p><p>Thankfully, by the time Uncle Sam's car pulled into the school's parking lot on Friday afternoon, Peter's mood had brightened to the point where he was practically vibrating with excitement. Gwen had stored her stuff in the school's office all day, and was now clutching the handle of her small suitcase, her other hand threaded through Peter's arm.</p><p>"Well, good afternoon, kids," Uncle Sam said, a goofy smile plastered on his face as Peter opened the back door of his car for Gwen. "How was school today?"</p><p>"It was fine, Uncle Sam," Peter said, shooting him a look in the rearview mirror. Uncle Sam had promised Peter that he and Uncle Bucky wouldn't go overboard on the teasing during the drive up, but since Peter had neglected to properly negotiate the terms of that promise, or even get it in writing, he had a bad feeling that it was going to be open to far more interpretation than he would have chosen.</p><p>And he was right. In fact, during the two-plus hours of car ride, Peter was certain that his cheeks managed to achieve a level of pinkness never before attained in his lifetime.</p><p>"You never told me that you used to climb out of your crib!" Gwen said as soon as Uncle Bucky finished the story about how Dad had once found Peter dangling from the upstairs bannister at the Malibu house as a toddler. Peter hadn't realised that Uncle Bucky even knew that story, but based on how much Papa liked to talk about him, he supposed he shouldn't have been too surprised.</p><p>"Well, I can't say that I usually spend a lot of time talking about when I was a baby," Peter said, clearing his throat. "And I really don't get why everyone else sees the need to talk about it either."</p><p>Uncle Sam let out one of his goofy laughs. "Well, when you're the youngest kid in this grand madhouse, that's kinda how it's gotta be." He glanced back, smirking when Peter glared at him. "Oh, come on. I highly doubt that anything we've said is gonna change anything. Isn't that right, Miss Stacy?"</p><p>"Um, right, Mr Wilson," Gwen said. She gave Peter's hand a reassuring squeeze, making him flush even pinker. "My mom and dad talk about when I was little all the time too. I think it must just be a parent thing."</p><p>"Hmph. Or a weird uncle thing," Peter muttered.</p><p>"Hey!" protested Uncle Bucky. "I thought I was your fun uncle!"</p><p>"Oh, yeah? Only when you're not being weird!" Peter shot back.</p><p>"Ah, I see," said Uncle Sam, giving Uncle Bucky a knowing glance. "Well, then I guess you're just outta luck now, hmm, Sir Bucky?"</p><p>"I swear to God, Сэм, if you don't—!"</p><p>"Um… Sir Bucky?" Gwen asked. "Do I wanna know?"</p><p>"Nope, nope, don't ask," Peter said quickly as Uncle Sam and Uncle Bucky launched into one of their verbal jab competitions. He leaned closer, whispering, "It's a Monty Python thing. I think."</p><p>"Ah," Gwen whispered back. "I still don't get it."</p><p>"No, me neither."</p><p>"They're cute though," she added. "Together, I mean. They seem pretty happy."</p><p>Peter gave her a wide smile. "Oh, yeah. The rest of us were so relieved when they finally quit dancing around each other too. I think deep down Uncle Bucky was still afraid it was a sin or illegal or something, like it was back in his time."</p><p>"And your papa's time?" Gwen asked.</p><p>"Yep. And his time." Just like Gwen knew that Peter was Spider-Man, she was also one of the few people who knew the truth about Uncle Bucky, that he'd been Papa's friend since they were kids, and that he had been a prisoner of HYDRA for over sixty years.</p><p>Gwen didn't know that he'd once been the Winter Soldier, though. There were still a few secrets in Peter's family that were too dangerous to tell, no matter how much Peter trusted her. Even though Uncle Bucky's record had been completely expunged of all traces that could connect to him being the Winter Soldier, the team had decided that they couldn't be too careful, especially with the possibility—however remote—of there still being more HYDRA agents out there somewhere.</p><p>As soon as they arrived at the Compound and unloaded their stuff, Peter and Gwen jumped into Peter's bright blue Audi RS Q8 to head to the nearby grocery store. Peter had offered to cook for Gwen that night, hoping to put some of his numerous lessons from Papa and Uncle Sam to good use, and the grocery trip also gave him a great opportunity to show off his new car for his girl, since she'd only been able to see it in pictures up till now.</p><p>"Oh wow," Gwen said, her eyes wide as she ran her palm over the smooth grey leather of the passenger seat. "Peter, this is nice!"</p><p>"Yeah," Peter said as he backed out of the garage, carefully navigating the long driveway and onto the main road. "My dads told me that Uncle Bucky helped them pick out the colours."</p><p>"Well, they did a good job," Gwen said. "Your dad likes Audis, hmm?"</p><p>"Yeah, they're almost all he owns. He wanted to get me a red one, but after Papa read something in a magazine about how cops tend to go after red cars more often, they decided on the blue instead."</p><p>"And I can verify that that is indeed the case," Gwen said with a short laugh. "My dad says the red cars are just easier to pick out on the roads, especially when they're speeding."</p><p>"Which I won't ever do," Peter said quickly. It'd been ridiculous how many times he'd had to promise his dads that he would be careful driving with Gwen. "Well, at least not too obnoxiously."</p><p>Gwen shot him a grin, reaching over to squeeze him on the knee. "Then I guess it's a good thing my dad's not here then, hmm?"</p><p>"Uhh, yeah," Peter stammered. "Yeah, it's—it's good. It's very, very good."</p><p>The grocery store was packed when they arrived, not too surprisingly since it was close to dinnertime. After picking up what they would need for the linguine dish Peter was planning to make, they headed over to the freezer section to check out the desserts. Peter was examining the selection of ice cream bars when Gwen suddenly burst out laughing from two doors down, pointing to the Ben and Jerry's section.</p><p>"Peter," she said, the huge smile on her gorgeous face already making Peter weak in the knees. "Did you know that your dads have their very own ice cream flavours?"</p><p>"What?" Peter exclaimed. "No! They never said anything to me about it!"</p><p>"Well, maybe they don't know yet. These look pretty new." She reached inside, pulling out a pint carton of ice cream that read Stark Raving Hazelnuts and handing it to Peter. "This is your dad's, and this one, the Star-Spangled Berry Blast, has to be for your papa."</p><p>"Holy cow," Peter laughed as he inspected the cartons. "This is absolutely hilarious! You know we have to get these now, right?"</p><p>"Oh, absolutely," agreed Gwen. "In fact, I'm thinking that we need to buy a bunch, just in case everyone else wants to try some."</p><p>"I think that's a great idea," said Peter, placing three cartons of each in their shopping cart. "Is that what you're gonna want for dessert then?"</p><p>"Nope," Gwen said, still poking around inside the freezer. She pulled out yet another carton, one that read Hulka Hulka Burning Fudge. "I think I'll go with this one. Do you think Dr Banner likes fudge?"</p><p>"Um, I honestly don't know," Peter said. "But I'm guessing if he doesn't already, he'll learn to now."</p><p>Returning to the Compound, they found Uncle Sam and Uncle Bucky finishing their dishes in the kitchen after their own dinner. After showing them the ice cream, and sending a picture to Peter's dads, Peter and Gwen got to work on their dinner. Gwen turned out to be an excellent sous chef, something Peter probably should've figured out a lot sooner when she pointed out that she and her mom were tasked daily with feeding four hungry boys and men.</p><p>"I mean, I know they probably don't have the same appetites that you and your papa have," she said once they'd sat down in the kitchen's eating area. "But they still eat a ton."</p><p>"Yeah, I've noticed," Peter said. "And my dad and I never used to cook before Papa came to live with us. He's the one who taught me how. He told me when he was young his ma had to work all the time, so he ended up doing most of the cooking."</p><p>"Oh, yeah?" Gwen said as she took a bite of her pasta. "She was a nurse, right?"</p><p>"Yep. But apparently they didn't pay nurses all that great back then, and so she had to work a whole lot just to keep them in their house," said Peter. "And pay for my papa's medicines whenever he got sick. That's one reason why my dad's always donating money and supplies to hospitals around the world. He always says that no one should ever have to go bankrupt just 'cause they get sick, or have a sick kid. He even helped to build a brand-new wing on a hospital in my grandma's hometown, not too far from where our house is in Ireland. And he even named it after her."</p><p>"Oh, that's awesome," Gwen said. "And it's good that your dad realises that kind of stuff. A lot of people with his kind of money don't."</p><p>"Well, I'm sure I helped him a bit when I almost died after I was born," Peter said around a mouthful of garlic bread. "Which is why the neonatal intensive care unit at Mount Sinai has a Stark wing now."</p><p>"Yes," Gwen said, smiling softly. "So I've heard. You're kinda like Harry Potter, hmm? The boy who lived?"</p><p>Peter grinned, covering Gwen's small hand with his own. "Well, I'm pretty sure no evil wizard's ever tried to kill me. In fact, I've never even met a wizard. At least, not that I know of."</p><p>Gwen giggled. "Well, in your line of work, I'd say just give it time. Who knows what you guys will run into next."</p><p>"Yeah," Peter said, the smile dropping from his lips as he remembered the so-called discussion he'd had with his father. Based on the texts he'd received since he and Gwen had arrived at the Compound, Dad and Papa were enjoying themselves at their festival, drinking beer and indulging in some of Papa's favourite childhood foods in his old neighbourhood. But Peter had a feeling that as soon as they got home, or maybe even tomorrow, given the fact that they were alone in the penthouse for the first time in months, Dad would revert right back to his same, worried-sick self, complete with wearing a path in the hallways as he tried to come up with even more newfangled ideas to keep his family safe.</p><p>Something had to give, and soon. Otherwise… well… Peter didn't really enjoy thinking about the otherwise.</p><p>"Peter? Are you okay?" Gwen said softly as they were finishing their dessert. The Stark Raving Hazelnuts ice cream hadn't turned out to be that bad, actually, and Peter ended up eating an entire pint of the stuff, thinking that he'd try the Star-Spangled Berry Blast tomorrow night.</p><p>"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," Peter said, almost grimacing at how much he sounded like his father. "Just… my dad's been under a lot of stress lately, and I'm a bit worried about him. His heart's not exactly normal, so—"</p><p>"No, I can't imagine it is, given all it's been through," Gwen said. "I assume he's under a doctor's care?"</p><p>"Oh, yeah. There's a great doctor who works here who keeps a close eye on him, and he still sees the surgeon who fixed his heart once a year. But you know what they say. I mean, even cops tend to have higher incidences of heart attacks and stuff just because of their jobs, right?"</p><p>"Yes," said Gwen. "Which is why my dad gets cardiac checkups every six months. But your dad's not a completely normal person either, is he? Didn't you tell me that he got some early version of a super-soldier serum when he was little?"</p><p>"Yeah, when he got really sick as a toddler. My grandpa gave it to him," Peter said in amazement. "Wow. You never forget anything, do you?"</p><p>A soft pink flush crept up Gwen's cheeks as she smiled. "Well… I tend to remember things that are important. But seriously. If everything that your dad's been through already hasn't killed him, then I doubt his heart's going to all of a sudden give way on him." She gave Peter's hand a squeeze. "And, pardon me for saying, but it seems like you've been under just as much stress as him since school started, and I'm sure your heart's just fine too."</p><p>"Well, I hope so," said Peter. <em>Or, at least it will be once you get back from England.</em> But he didn't dare say that out loud. He had not taken the news of Gwen's upcoming summer internship well at all, and while he had apologised to her multiple times since then, he still felt guilty about not being more supportive.</p><p>And, while Gwen had assured him that she wasn't going to break up with him because of it, he still couldn't shake the fear that she would fall in love with someone else while she was over there, someone with a cooler accent than his subtle New York drawl, and that would be it for him.</p><p>He was brought back to reality by Gwen's fingers snapping in front of his nose. "Earth to Peter?" she said with a giggle. "Where'd you go?"</p><p>"Nowhere," Peter said as he gave his head a hard shake. It didn't do to dwell on things he couldn't change, right? Wasn't that what Papa was always telling him?</p><p>Too bad he never took his own advice.</p><p>"Are you ready to go check out the telescope now?" he asked as they gathered up their dishes. "I thought we could take some hot chocolate up there with us."</p><p>"Oh, really?" said Gwen. "And did your papa teach you how to make that too?"</p><p>"Yeah, actually, he did. And let me tell you, Swiss Miss has got nothing on Papa's hot chocolate."</p><p>"Well then," Gwen said, grinning. "Don't keep me waiting."</p><p>After starting the dishwasher and making a huge pot of hot chocolate, complete with marshmallows, Peter and Gwen gathered up a bunch of blankets and headed up onto the roof of the main building. They set up their makeshift camp in front of the telescope, with Gwen sitting between Peter's legs, leaning against his chest. Taking turns with their stargazing, they were able to identify Venus and several constellations, taking plenty of notes in their notebooks for their Decathlon finals coming up in a couple of months.</p><p>"This is so fascinating," Gwen said as she added some finishing touches on her drawing of Leo. "It's so much better than just looking at pictures in a book, isn't it?"</p><p>"Y-yeah," Peter stuttered. To be perfectly honest, he was far too distracted by Gwen's close proximity and the gorgeous smell of her hair to pay much attention to the stars. Especially since despite the hot chocolate and wearing one of his regular heated Spider-Man suits underneath his clothes, he was starting to get really cold being outside after dark in the middle of March.</p><p>And, even worse, out here, out from under the strict, watchful eyes of his and Gwen's families, Peter was finding it harder and harder to keep his hands to himself. Papa had given him a ton of lectures on how to be a gentleman ever since he and Dad got married, and Peter had taken them all to heart. But those wise words were currently locked in an intense battle with the desire coursing through his body, and the last thing Peter wanted was to come off as creepy or pushy during he and Gwen's first real date in months.</p><p>"So," he said as he nuzzled the soft skin on the back of Gwen's neck. "Did you know that no one born blind has ever developed schizophrenia?"</p><p>There was a couple heartbeat's pause before Gwen burst out laughing, turning back to look at Peter.</p><p>"No, I am absolutely positive that I did not know that," she said. "And where in the world did you hear it?"</p><p>"My Uncle Bucky loves trivia, like me, so he helps me practise for Decathlon a lot," Peter explained. "That's one of the funnier gems that we came across earlier this week."</p><p>Gwen giggled as she leaned closer, so close that their lips were almost touching. "Well, now I'm hoping that we'll get that question in one of our competitions, seeing as how you already know the answer. Nothing like impressing everyone else in the room, right?"</p><p>"Yeah," Peter murmured as he cupped her cheek in his palm. He leaned in, pressing their lips together in a kiss that instantly sent a burst of warm fuzzies scattering throughout his body, and had him panting by the time they broke apart.</p><p>And, funnily enough, he was no longer quite as cold either.</p><p>"Peter—" Gwen started, but Peter cut her off with another kiss, hugging her lithe body as close to him as he dared. He wanted so badly to do more than just kissing, but he didn't dare push anything. Her dad was a cop, after all. And he was a gentleman, like Papa said.</p><p>"So," Gwen said breathlessly once they broke apart. "Do you think we should see if we can find Aquarius too? It's not quite the right time of year for maximum visibility, but since your telescope is so nice, we just might—"</p><p>"Oh, sure," Peter said as he sucked in a shaky breath. "That—that's a great idea."</p><p>Peering through the telescope again, Gwen began taking notes, exclaiming a moment later, "Peter! I think I've found it! Oh, it's amazing!" She paused for a moment, tilting her head. "And there's something else up there too. Something that seems to be… moving."</p><p>"Huh?" Peter asked. "Something's moving? Are you sure?"</p><p>"Pretty sure," Gwen said as she leaned back, allowing Peter to take her place. "Up there, slightly to the right of the North Star. Do you see it?"</p><p>"Oh, yeah!" Peter said, squinting to get a better look. Whatever it was was orange, moving quickly through the emptiness of space as it left a sort of fiery trail behind it. "It kinda looks like a comet? Are there supposed to be any of those coming through this area now?"</p><p>"Not that I know of," said Gwen. "I mean, I'm sure one could come through without people knowing, but don't we usually hear about it if they're expecting one?"</p><p>"Yeah, usually," Peter said as he peered through the telescope again, his heart starting to thud when he saw how much bigger it had already grown. It also didn't seem to be travelling across the sky, like a comet normally would.</p><p>Instead, it seemed to be aiming downwards, directly at Earth. And, more specifically, right at the Compound.</p><p>
  <em>Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no.</em>
</p><p>A cold sweat broke out across Peter's body, and he let out a hard shiver as he grabbed onto Gwen's hand. "Uhh, I think—I think we need to get back inside now. Like, right <em>now.</em>"</p><p>"What? Why?" Gwen asked, her head snapping back in alarm. "Peter, what's wrong? What did you see?"</p><p>"Ahh," he said, gasping as another freezing shiver raced down his spine. "It's—it's not a comet, Gwen. I'm afraid it's—it's—"</p><p>"It's a, what?" demanded Gwen. "Peter, you're not making any sense! What did you see?"</p><p>"An attack!" Peter cried. He scrambled to his feet, practically yanking Gwen's arm from its socket as he pulled her up next to him. "We're under attack, so we've gotta get out of—"</p><p>He was cut off as the fireball suddenly appeared directly above them, smashing straight into the main SHIELD building about fifty metres away. The blastwave was enough to knock Peter and Gwen off their feet, sending them both flying across the roof. Gwen screamed as Peter landed on the very edge of the roof, clutching Gwen's hand so hard he feared he might break it.</p><p>"Gwen!" he cried as he glanced up at the sky, his heart jumping into his throat as he noticed another incoming fireball. He quickly crawled over to Gwen, curling his body around her as his entire left side screamed in protest. "There's another fireball coming, so don't let go of me, okay? I've got you, but you have to hold onto me!"</p><p>"Uh huh!" Gwen gasped, nodding as her fingertips dug into Peter's arm. "Peter, what—what's happening? What is this?"</p><p>"I don't know," answered Peter, bracing himself as the next impact grew closer and closer. "I don't—I don't know, but don't worry. I've got you."</p><p>But instead of the second fireball landing in the same spot as the first, it suddenly veered at the last second, landing in the yard only about fifteen metres away from the building. A split-second later the shockwave hit, blasting Peter back hard enough to knock Gwen right out of his arms as the back of his head slammed against the roof. He let out a choked scream as he watched her fly towards the edge of the building, barely having the wherewithal to activate his web shooter and launch a web towards her before she disappeared, just like she had in his vision all those months ago.</p><p><em>No, please! </em>Peter cried inside his dazed and dizzy mind, clinging desperately to consciousness. <em>Please, don't take her from me like this! Not like this!</em></p><p>And then, everything went black.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em> <strong>Stop by and see me on tumblr, I’m <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geekymoviemom">geekymoviemom</a> and <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geeky-writes">geeky-writes</a> there 😊 </strong> </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Heh heh heh 😏 </p><p>I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment!  💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Steve watched through bleary eyes as Helen Cho carefully placed her stethoscope underneath the front of Peter's hospital gown, her brow furrowing as she listened to his lungs. His fingers instinctively tightened around his son's hand as she moved the stethoscope all around his chest, his heart lurching in relief when she finally withdrew it, smiling softly.</p><p>"His lungs are almost completely clear now, Captain, just as I hoped they would be," she said. "We just needed to give his body a bit of time to heal itself."</p><p>Steve gave a tired nod. "Thank you," he forced past his scratchy throat. "And how long until his ribs heal?"</p><p>"Based on how quickly his broken bones have healed in the past, I'd say about two to three days at the most," answered Dr Cho. "I'm not detecting any further signs of atelectasis either, so I'm going to assume that the puncture in his right lung has already sealed itself off." She paused, her eyes sweeping across Steve. "Or, if you like, I can order another chest x-ray, just to be certain, but—"</p><p>"No, no, I don't think that's necessary," said Steve. The less radiation that Peter was exposed to, the better. "I trust your judgment, Dr Cho. If you say he's healing like he should be, then that's good enough for me."</p><p>Dr Cho nodded as she draped her stethoscope around her neck. "As long as there are no further signs of collapse, I'll be able to take out the chest tube later today," she said. "And then once that's out—"</p><p>"We just have to wait until he wakes up," finished Steve. <em>Again.</em></p><p>"Yes," said Dr Cho. She stepped over to Steve, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "This is how Peter heals himself, Captain. And unfortunately, none of us have any control over it. We just have to give him the time that he needs."</p><p>Steve's eyes burned with the tears he'd been desperately trying to contain as he looked down at his sweet boy, all pale and bruised and so, so small in the huge, stark-white hospital bed.</p><p>He would never get used to seeing Peter like this. Absolutely never.</p><p>And why did hospitals always have to have so much white everywhere anyway? As an artist, Steve had always found the lack of colour disturbing, and not at all conducive to a person's recovery.</p><p>He'd have to speak to Tony about that, sometime when the time was right.</p><p>"I know he needs time," Steve whispered. "I'm just… it's just so hard to see him like this. I thought this would stop once we removed the Winter Soldier programming from his mind."</p><p>"I don't think this is as connected to that programming as we originally thought, Captain, since both of the other times Peter went comatose he had sustained physical injuries as well," said Dr Cho. "But now, since we no longer have to worry about him having to fight against his own subconscious while he's healing, I'm hoping that means this episode will be shorter than the others."</p><p>"You do?" Steve asked eagerly. "How long are you thinking?"</p><p>"I said, I'm <em>hoping</em> that it will, Captain," clarified Dr Cho. "But Peter did sustain a pretty notable concussion, so… it's probably best to plan on a few days, maybe even a week. That way if he wakes up sooner, it'll be a pleasant surprise."</p><p>Steve gave a somber nod. Even a week would be better than the ordeal he and Tony had endured after the battle down in Miami, where Obadiah Stane and Aldrich Killian had tried their hardest to convert Peter into another Winter Soldier. Peter had been comatose for months following the battle against Killian's Aminacin-enhanced army, necessitating everything from a feeding tube to daily physical therapy to keep his muscles from completely wasting away.</p><p>And with Tony fighting for his own life during a good part of that awful time, sedated and paralysed with his chest gaping open while Bruce and Dr Cho worked around the clock to create an antidote to the poison Killian had given him, Steve still wasn't quite sure how he'd managed to survive through all of it, much less remain somewhat sane.</p><p>"All right, Doctor," he said softly. "Thank you."</p><p>"Of course, Captain," said Dr Cho. "I'll be back in a couple of hours to take out the chest tube, but I'll be in my office if you need me in the meantime."</p><p>As soon as the door to Peter's room clicked shut, the composure Steve had been fighting to maintain melted away, and he dropped his head, bringing Peter's limp hand to his lips.</p><p>"I'm so sorry, little guy," he sobbed, his tears dripping down to wet Peter's blankets. "I am so sorry that we weren't here with you."</p><p>And, right on the heels of that sentiment, <em>Why does this have to keep happening to us?</em></p><p>Pressing his lips to the back of Peter's hand, Steve sucked in a shaky breath, swiping the tears from his cheeks as he glanced up at the wall clock. It was already 0730, which meant that Tony would likely be waking up soon. Dr Cho had given him something to help him sleep around three in the morning, after she had assured him that Peter was stabilised, but Steve highly doubted that Tony would be able to last the entire eight hours the sleep aid was supposed to give him. He had first tried to refuse it, only relenting after Steve literally begged him to take it, promising he would wake him if anything else happened. The last thing that Steve needed at the moment was more of Tony's second-guessing and self-hatred, neither of which helped with anything besides making Steve even more anxious and upset.</p><p>Steve needed to think, and to plan. He needed to figure out a way to keep attacks like this from ever happening again, and he couldn't do that if his focus was even more splintered than it already was.</p><p>"It's gonna be okay, little guy. I've got you," Steve whispered as he pressed another kiss to Peter's hand, cradling it against his cheek for a moment before carefully replacing it under his blankets. Then he leaned back in his chair, raising his arms up over his head to try and alleviate some of the ever-present tightness in his neck and shoulders. Dr Cho had offered him a sleep aid as well, but he had refused, thinking it probably wouldn't work on him anyway. And while he was tired—more like exhausted, actually—he also knew there'd be no way he would be able to sleep.</p><p>Not until he was absolutely certain that Peter would be okay.</p><p>Tipping his head back against the chair, Steve closed his eyes, trying like hell to make some sense of what had happened. He and Tony had returned to the penthouse only moments before, and were still undressing each other when JARVIS announced that the Compound was under attack. Steve's head still ached from the mental whiplash of going from such all-encompassing desire to such immediate terror and panic in less than a split-second's time, an experience he had no desire to ever, <em>ever </em>repeat. At first, Tony had tried to insist that he fly them up to the Compound on his suit, but while Steve could tolerate being carried by Tony for short distances, he'd never learned to enjoy it for longer than a couple of minutes and quickly vetoed that idea. After a quick conference with Clint and Natasha, who assured Steve and Tony multiple times that the attack had ceased following the two initial impacts and that both Peter and Gwen had been found alive, they decided to collect George Stacy from his home and fly up in the Quinjet, arriving at their upstate facility in record time.</p><p>In fact, they ended up getting there so fast that the SHIELD medics hadn't even finished resetting Gwen's separated shoulder by the time they arrived at the infirmary. Gwen had burst into tears as soon as she saw them, insisting over and over that Peter had risked his own life to protect her and that she probably would've been killed from her fall off the building if he hadn't managed to catch her with his web, one that he had launched at her right before he lost consciousness. Sam had found her dangling by one arm off the side of the building less than a minute after the second impact, quickly whisking her away to the infirmary while Bucky shimmied up onto the roof to look for Peter.</p><p>It was all way too eerily familiar, and the fact that Steve had nearly had to deck Bucky to get him to calm down a bit wasn't lost on him either. Bucky had been doing remarkably well ever since they'd managed to remove his Winter Soldier programming, and his relationship with Sam was even stronger evidence of his recovery. But Steve knew that just like him and Tony, Bucky still had his limits. And anytime some enemy of the Avengers decided to skip over all of them and go after Peter, that was when all of Bucky's repressed anger and resentment tended to come out.</p><p>Just like Steve and Tony, Bucky tended to blame himself, even when there was absolutely no reason to do so.</p><p>Peeling his eyes open again, Steve leaned forward to brush the messy curls from Peter's forehead, careful to avoid disturbing the white gauze bandage wrapped around his head. In addition to the concussion, broken ribs, and collapsed lung he had suffered, Peter had also cut open the back of his head when he slammed it against the roof, right above where he had suffered a similar injury during the Afghanistan bombing. Dr Cho had informed Steve that the cut wasn't that deep and would likely heal within hours, but given the severity of Peter's concussion she had stitched it up anyway, trying to limit how much she'd have to mess around with his head while he was trying to heal.</p><p>It'd been that cut, and the blood pouring from it that had been so hard for Bucky to process once he found Peter, as it had reminded him far too much of the people he'd been forced to assassinate over the years as HYDRA's secret weapon. Bucky had told Steve that he had almost lost it at the sight of all that blood, and that if it hadn't been for Sam successfully talking him down once he'd rescued Gwen, Bucky wasn't sure what he would have done.</p><p>"I'm so sorry, little guy," Steve murmured as he trailed his fingertips down Peter's round cheek. "I wish I could make all of this go away."</p><p>
  <em>Why can't I make this all go away?</em>
</p><p>He was Captain America, for goodness sake, but even aside from that, fathers were supposed to be able to protect their families. It just wasn't fair that Steve's immense love for his husband and son still wasn't enough to keep their demons at bay.</p><p>He had just grabbed his book from Peter's bedside table when there came a soft knock on the door.</p><p>"Come in?" Steve said, not too surprised when Natasha poked her head inside. It never ceased to amaze Steve how even-keeled Natasha could be while everything else seemed to be on a straight line to hell.</p><p>"Hey, Steve," she said, patting him on the shoulder. She jerked her head towards Peter, her brow furrowing into a frown as she took him in. "How's my милая ошибка doing?"</p><p>"Oh, you know," Steve said as he reached for Peter's hand. "He's so strong, Nat. So much stronger than he should have to be. And this—"</p><p>"Wasn't your fault, Steve," Natasha said firmly. "And it wasn't Tony's either, in case he's asked."</p><p>Steve dropped his chin to his chest. "Oh, you know Tony. He just automatically assumes that everything's his fault until proven otherwise. Which is usually impossible."</p><p>"Well, we all have our quirks, as you know," Natasha said with a smirk. "Even you."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess," Steve said quickly. "How're the twins doing?"</p><p>Natasha gave him a shrug. "They're a bit shaken up, but they've lived through a lot worse, so I'm sure they'll be okay. Clint's keeping watch over them in the living room at the moment though, so if you're planning on heading in there anytime soon—"</p><p>"I won't be," Steve cut in. "Not till—" He broke off, cradling Peter's hand between his own. "I can't—I can't leave him, Nat. Not while… he's like this. I just—I need to be here when he wakes up."</p><p>"All right," Natasha said frankly. "And when that's supposed to be?"</p><p>"Dr Cho doesn't know for sure," Steve answered, grateful when his voice didn't wobble. "She said it wouldn't be as long as his first one, but… he's pretty banged up, Nat, so—"</p><p>"And again, Steve, this is not your fault," Natasha said. "From everything I've heard, our boy was a hero while all of this was going down."</p><p>"Oh, I know that," Steve said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "And I wouldn't expect anything less from him. I just—Nat, he shouldn't have to be! This was supposed to be a fun weekend for him, getting to spend some time with his lady friend, and now—"</p><p>
  <em>Now we'll be waiting for God knows how long for him to wake up.</em>
</p><p>"Anyway, have you heard from Fury at all?" Steve asked. "Has he been able to get a handle on the damage?"</p><p>Natasha pursed her lips, glancing down at Peter. "Yes, he has. Are you sure you're feeling up to discussing it?"</p><p>"Yes, I am," Steve said in his Captain's voice. "If you've got information, then I'll take it."</p><p>"All right," Natasha said with a sigh. "From what we've been able to ascertain, most of the damage was limited to the main SHIELD building. The residence was only minimally damaged, just a few broken windows, really, and our training dome wasn't damaged at all."</p><p>"Well, that's one good thing," said Steve. "Was anyone killed inside the SHIELD building?"</p><p>"Three security guards sustained some minor injuries and a couple of scientists who were working late got pretty freaked out, but no," said Natasha. "No fatalities."</p><p>Steve shook his head, his eyebrows knitting together into a frown. "Well, that's a relief. But it also doesn't make much sense. Does it?"</p><p>"Well, it depends on what whoever was behind this was trying to accomplish," said Natasha.</p><p>"It was the Chitauri," said Steve. "I mean, unless we know of another space-faring race who's trying to come after Earth, then it's gotta be them. Right?"</p><p>"Yes, all signs are pointing in that direction," Natasha said. "But if the Chitauri were trying to launch an invasion of Earth from this point, why only stop at two attacks? And why attack what amounts to an office building during the night, when there were basically no people inside it?"</p><p>Steve huffed, wracking his exhausted mind for possible reasons why the Chitauri would suddenly cease their offensive. Any decent attacking army would first conduct reconnaissance, and therefore would know that the main SHIELD building would be mostly vacant after business hours. The only people who would still be in the building would be the overnight security people, who were responsible for guarding—</p><p>"Oh God," Steve gasped as his belly gave a violent swoop. "Nat, did Fury send anyone down to search the vault yet?"</p><p>"Yes," Natasha said with a somber nod. "That was actually the first thing he did once we confirmed that no one was missing."</p><p>Steve's heart started to thud. Why the hell hadn't it occurred to him before now?</p><p>"And?" he asked, bracing himself for the answer that he suspected he already knew.</p><p>"It's gone, Steve," Natasha said flatly. "The sceptre's gone."</p><p>"Oh no," Steve choked out as he slumped back into his chair. "So it seems that Thor was right then? About the sceptre being one of those… infinity gems?"</p><p>"Well, that's actually what I came in here to tell you," said Natasha. "Thor got here about a half hour ago, and he's waiting to talk to us whenever you can break away for a few minutes."</p><p>"Okay, but we should wait until Tony wakes up," Steve said quickly. "I don't want him to miss anything."</p><p>"And normally that would be fine," Natasha said. "But Thor seems pretty worried about this, so I'm wondering if you don't want to try and wake Tony up yourself so we can get going. Clint said he can join us whenever you're ready."</p><p>Steve let out a frustrated noise as he glanced over at Peter. He knew that Dr Cho had warned him it could be days before Peter woke up, but the thought of leaving him made Steve's heart feel as heavy as a lead balloon. The chance—albeit small—that Peter would wake up and find himself alone was almost too much for Steve to bear at the moment.</p><p>"I don't—Nat, I can't—I can't leave him alone," Steve said softly. "I can't—"</p><p>"I know you can't," Natasha said gently. "Which is why George Stacy has offered to come in here and sit with him while we debrief. He and Gwen both." Her lips curled into a soft smile. "Gwen's been asking every few seconds when she can see Peter anyway. I think she's pretty worried about him."</p><p>"He's gonna be fine," Steve said, more for himself than anyone else. "Once he wakes up, he'll be right back to his old self."</p><p>"Of course he will be. But first we need to let him heal." Natasha gave Steve's shoulder a gentle shake. "C'mon, Steve. This'll only take a few minutes."</p><p>"All right," Steve said after a short pause. "Go ahead and tell them they can come in."</p><p>"Copy that," Natasha said as she headed for the door. A moment or so later Gwen Stacy appeared, rumpled and dishevelled with her face lined in tear tracks and her left arm wrapped up in a padded sling. Steve stood to his feet as she stepped inside, followed by her father, his hand resting protectively on her uninjured shoulder.</p><p>"Oh, Captain Rogers!" Gwen cried as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm—I'm so sorry! Peter—I never meant to—"</p><p>"None of this is your fault, Gwen," Steve said in his Captain's voice. "There's nothing you need to be sorry for."</p><p>Gwen nodded, scrubbing at her eyes as she moved closer to Peter's bed, her lower lip shaking as she took him in.</p><p>"Oh," she said on a gasp, her hand reaching for him before abruptly pulling back. "Is—is it okay if I hold his hand, Captain? I promise I'll be careful, I just—"</p><p>"That's fine," Steve said, stuffing his own hands into his pockets. "As long as you're careful not to pull on any of his tubes, okay?"</p><p>"I'll make sure that she's careful, Captain," Stacy said as Gwen carefully took Peter's hand. "She just wanted to check on him for a bit."</p><p>Steve nodded. He had never seen any indication that Gwen didn't absolutely adore Peter, and he knew Peter adored her just as much. "If you need anything, or need to get a hold of me, just ask JARVIS, all right?"</p><p>"Oh, that's no problem, Captain," said Gwen. "I've spoken with JARVIS before."</p><p>"Indeed she has, Captain," JARVIS said. "I will also of course inform you if there are any changes in Master Peter's condition."</p><p>"Thank you," Steve said as he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Peter's forehead. "I'll just be gone for a bit, okay, little guy? I promise it won't be too long."</p><p>There was no response, and the intellectual part of him hadn't been expecting one. But Steve still felt a sharp stab of pain when he pulled back and saw Peter just lying there, completely unresponsive. It was almost as if he were—</p><p><em>Nope,</em> he thought firmly. <em>I can't go there.</em> Peter's heart was still beating, as evidenced by the steady <em>beep beep beep </em>of his heart monitor, and his skin, while cool, wasn't any colder than it normally was. So there was no reason at all for Steve to believe that he wouldn't pull out of this. Again.</p><p>It was just the "again" part of that thought that was so painful.</p><p>Exiting Peter's room, Steve headed two doors down to where he had tucked Tony in, finding him in the same position he'd left him. Carefully, he crawled onto the bed, sliding his arms around Tony as he pressed gentle kisses along his temple and cheek.</p><p>"I'm so sorry to have to wake you, sweetheart," he whispered in Tony's ear as Tony let out an annoyed moan, his brow furrowing into a frown that looked so much like one of Peter's that on any other day it would've made Steve laugh. As much as he often had to fight to get Tony to sleep, once he was asleep he was just about as difficult to wake up as Peter, and that was saying something.</p><p>"What the hell?" Tony mumbled as Steve gathered him close, pressing his ear over his heart. A few heartbeats later Tony's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing as they focused in on Steve.</p><p>"Steve? What's going on? Is Pete okay?"</p><p>"Peter's fine, sweetheart," Steve assured him. "He's just… sleeping, like he was when we got here. Dr Cho checked him out a few minutes ago, and she said his lungs are clear and his ribs are healing just like she expected them to."</p><p>"Mmm," Tony groaned as tears welled in his exhausted brown eyes. "But he's still out?"</p><p>"Yes," whispered Steve. "Dr Cho said that because of his concussion, it'll probably be at least a few days before he wakes up."</p><p>"Oh God," Tony rasped as he slumped against Steve, his hands fisting into Steve's shirt. "Honey, what—what're we doing? We gotta—we've gotta—"</p><p>"What we've got to do right now is go and talk to Thor, Tony," Steve said. "Natasha said it's urgent."</p><p>"More urgent than our boy?" yelped Tony, nearly smacking Steve on the chin with his head as he straightened. "What could possibly be more important—?"</p><p>"They got Loki's sceptre, Tony," Steve said firmly. He grabbed onto Tony's elbows, preventing him from escaping off the bed. "Whoever this was, if it was the Chitauri or someone else, they knew exactly where it was being held. Clint and Natasha said that the attack stopped after the two blasts, so the enemy knew exactly where to hit us. And then, probably while everyone else was busy scrambling around, they came down and took it."</p><p>"Yeah, 'cause we got caught with our goddamn pants down! Again!" Tony snapped. He bit down on his bottom lip, hard enough to make Steve wince. "Jesus, Steve, how could I have let this hap—"</p><p>"No!" Steve cried, so loud that he even startled himself. He sucked in a shaky breath, pressing his forehead against Tony's. "Now you listen to me very carefully. This was not your fault, do you understand me? There is no way we could've known this was going to happen, and no way that we could've prevented it."</p><p>The look that Tony shot him, so full of anguish and self-loathing, was almost enough to cause Steve's heart to shatter right there in his chest, like a piece of porcelain dropped onto a concrete floor. He audibly gulped, his back as straight as an iron rod as he forced his swirling emotions back down into the pit of his belly, where they could continue their festering.</p><p>"Please, sweetheart," he said, his voice trembling. "Please, don't do that. Not now, not while—" He broke off, cupping Tony's cheeks in his hands. "It won't help anything, and right now we need to focus, okay? We need to focus on what we can do to keep this from happening again. On what <em>we </em>can do, Tony. Us, as a team. Not just you. All right?"</p><p>"But… Steve," Tony whimpered. "How many times does my boy have to get hurt before I figure this out?"</p><p>"Before <em>we </em>figure this out, Tony," Steve said. "You're not alone, remember? I'm right here. We're both in this together, whatever it takes."</p><p>A single tear snaked its way down Tony's cheek, cross-crossed with pillow creases. "Whatever it takes," he said as he covered Steve's hand with his own. "Just… please, don't leave me. Steve, I can't—I don't know what I'd do if—"</p><p>"That's never gonna happen, mo grá, I promise you," stated Steve. "Without you and Peter… I don't think I'd be able to survive, so…" He pressed a firm kiss to Tony's lips, brushing the tear away with his thumb. "Now, let's go see what Thor has to say, all right? The more intel we can get on these infinity gems, the better we'll be able to figure out a way to stop them."</p><p>"If that's even possible," Tony said, followed by such a powerful full-body shudder that it shook the entire bed. "Steve, I <em>saw </em>these guys, out there in space when I flew that missile out of New York. I saw how big their ship was before it blew up, and—and if that was only one part of their invading force, then… I don't know how us learning more about a handful of rocks is gonna help anything."</p><p>"Well, why don't we talk more about this after Thor tells us what he knows about these rocks, hmm?" Steve said. He did not like to be reminded of how he'd been forced to watch Tony's self-sacrificing flight through Loki's portal during the Battle of New York, all while shamelessly begging him not to leave him.</p><p>And then, if that hadn't been enough, having to watch Tony fall from the sky right afterwards. Being chased back through the closing portal by the rapidly expanding fireball, his limp body twisting and turning in the air as he fell, all while Steve watched helplessly from the ground below.</p><p>If Hulk hadn't caught Tony when he did, then…</p><p>
  <em>No! I can't think like that!</em>
</p><p>"C'mon, sweetheart," he said as he stood up from the bed. "The team's all waiting for us."</p><p>Hand-in-hand, Steve and Tony headed down the hallway to a conference room, one that had been freshly cleaned from the looks and smell of it. The infirmary floor at the Compound, while as well-stocked as any major hospital and even sporting its own operating room, didn't really get all that much use. In fact, Steve was fairly certain that aside from some minor laboratory mishaps and the occasional illness, Dr Cho and the other medical doctor who rotated through the infirmary didn't see all that many patients, leaving them plenty of time to pursue whatever research projects they were currently involved in.</p><p>"Ah, Captain, Stark," Thor said as soon as they walked into the room. "Please accept my most sincere condolences on Young Starkson's injuries. I trust, though, that he will make a full recovery?"</p><p>"Yes, he will," Steve said, giving Tony's hand a squeeze. "Dr Cho told us there's no reason for him not to."</p><p>"Well, that is indeed good news," said Thor. He retook his seat at the head of the long conference table, around which already sat the rest of their team. Including James, who had apparently just flown in from D.C.</p><p>"So," Steve said once he and Tony had taken their seats. "Natasha tells me that you've got some more information on these infinity gems?"</p><p>Thor gave a nod. "Yes, that is true. Your encounter here has only solidified my theory that the gem inside Loki's sceptre is in fact one of the six infinity stones. More specifically, the Mind Stone." He paused, tapping his palm on the table. "It is also my belief that it was this stone that was driving Loki's madness when he attacked this planet. I know that Loki has caused all of us great pain, but I also know that he was not himself during that time, and I believe this is why."</p><p>"So you're saying those Chitauri bastards were using this Mind Stone to control him?" asked Clint. Clint's jaw was tight and his fists clenched, no doubt remembering the horror he went through while under Loki's influence.</p><p>"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying," said Thor. "Agent Barton, I believe you experienced some of these effects as well?"</p><p>"We all did," Natasha said quickly, giving Clint's wrist a squeeze. "But none of us as much as Clint and Dr Selvig. Their effects were… more direct."</p><p>"Yeah, like a straight shot to the heart," muttered Clint. "Dude pointed the thing at my chest and it was like I'd suddenly forgotten who I was and who I was working for."</p><p>"He pointed it at your chest?" Tony asked, pointing to where his arc reactor used to be. "Like, right here?"</p><p>"Ah, yep," said Clint. "Got me and another agent in about ten seconds flat, then got Selvig before we split."</p><p>"Hmm…" Tony murmured as he leaned back in his chair, his expression morphing into his <em>I'm thinking</em> face.</p><p>"Tony?" Steve asked. "What're you thinking?"</p><p>Tony started, like he had forgotten Steve was there. "Um… well, I'm thinking that somehow my arc reactor was able to ward off the more direct effects of this Mind Stone," he said. "'Cause Loki tried the same thing with me when we got to the Tower after the portal opened up, only it didn't work."</p><p>"He did, <em>what?"</em> Steve exclaimed, gaping at his husband. Tony had never mentioned anything about this to Steve before. "You never—wait, Loki did <em>what </em>to you?"</p><p>"Well, from the sounds of it, he tried to do the same thing he did to Barton here," said Tony, way too nonchalantly for Steve's taste. "Only it didn't work, so then he got all pissed off and threw me out the window."</p><p>"Yeah, okay, but we don't need to talk about that right now either," Steve said. He drew in a deep breath, trying to maintain some semblance of composure. He, Natasha, and Clint had arrived at the Tower in the Quinjet just in time to witness Tony being tossed out of the penthouse window, and Steve had nearly had a heart attack at the sight.</p><p>And that had been <em>before </em>his flight through the portal.</p><p>"Steve, we were all affected by that sceptre," Bruce piped up from his chair next to James. "So even though Loki didn't use it on all of us directly, we were all still vulnerable to its effects."</p><p>"Yeah, and given that all you super-types were just as affected as the rest of them, I'd say that means this thing must be pretty powerful," said Sam.</p><p>"It is indeed, Son of Wil," said Thor. "And now that it is back in the hands of the Chitauri, it is my thought that we must take measures to remove the other Earth-bound gems from this planet. It is not safe to have this many of these stones in such close proximity."</p><p>"Okay, just… can you remind me exactly what these gems are again?" asked James. "Not all of us were as involved in the incident in New York as others."</p><p>"Oh, of course, Colonel," said Thor, clearing his throat. "Mind you, I will be relaying the story as it was told to me hundreds of years ago. By my mother."</p><p>"Now wait just a minute," said Clint. "So you're telling me this is just another one of your Asgardian bedtime stories?"</p><p>"Well, yes," Thor answered. "I believe you Midgardians also share bedtime stories with your offspring, do you not?"</p><p>"Well, yeah, we do," said Clint. "But… Jesus. I'd hate to see what you guys think is really scary."</p><p>Thor narrowed his eyes. "Yes, Agent Barton," he said grimly. "You most likely would."</p><p>"Please, Thor, continue," said Steve, barely clinging to his patience. "We're kind of on the clock here."</p><p>"Yes, yes, Captain. I do apologise," said Thor. "Now then. Prior to the creation of this universe, there existed six singularities. After the universe exploded into existence, the remnants of these six systems were forged into concentrated ingots—er, gems, as you would call them. The six infinity stones. Now, these stones are powerful, as you can imagine, and therefore can only be manipulated by beings of extraordinary strength. You may recall that I personally played witness to the immense power of one of these stones when the Dark Elves attempted to use the convergence of the nine realms to unleash the Aether, otherwise known as the Reality Stone. This Aether was not only used to lay waste to the area of your planet that you call Greenwich, but it also caused my… companion at the time, Jane, to fall seriously ill."</p><p>"Okay, that all sucks and all," said James. "But from how you're telling this story, you were still able to beat it."</p><p>"Then I am afraid that I have misled you, which is not at all my intended purpose," Thor replied. "Along with the assistance of Dr Selvig and Jane Foster, I was able to defeat the Dark Elves, yes. But, as much as I tried, I could not destroy the Aether. Not with all of my power channeled through my hammer was I able to destroy it. And now, without my hammer… I fear that it would be truly impossible."</p><p>"Okay, so maybe destruction's not the direction we try and take," said Bruce. "Like Tony implied with his testimonial about the arc reactor, maybe the way to go is to try and somehow repel the effects of the stones."</p><p>"Yes, that's definitely something we should start looking into," said Steve. "But first we need to find out where the other stones are."</p><p>"And we need to disperse them, Captain, as much as possible," said Thor. "The Chitauri are powerful and their reach is vast, so we must make it as difficult as we possibly can for them to obtain them all. This will also ensure us more time to study various methods of defence against them."</p><p>"Okay, so where are they now?" asked Clint. "Besides the one that they took from us?"</p><p>"This is my current understanding of the gems' whereabouts," Thor said. "Captain, I believe that you have determined that my theory regarding the Soul Stone is correct, is it not?"</p><p>"Yes," answered Steve. Thanks to their new diplomatic alliance, he and Tony had been discussing with King T'Challa the possibility of the three of them visiting Wakanda over Peter's upcoming spring break. "King T'Challa informed us just a few days ago that he was able to commune with his ancestors and confirm this theory. The Soul Stone's current location is in Wakanda."</p><p>"Well, then that explains the original space phenomenon that we saw in October," said Bruce. "The Chitauri must've been trying to attack them just like they attacked here."</p><p>"But then they obviously didn't get it, right?" asked Clint.</p><p>"Nope," said Tony. "They didn't."</p><p>"Wakanda is a very technologically advanced country," Steve added. "Which means that they have means of defending themselves that we currently don't."</p><p>"Not for long," he heard Tony mutter under his breath.</p><p>"Okay, so, should we maybe just move the rest of the stones there?" asked James. "How many are here again?"</p><p>"At least two more," said Thor. "The Space Stone or tesseract, which is currently well-hidden within New Asgard, and the Soul Stone, located in Wakanda."</p><p>"Okay, and those combined with the Mind Stone make three," said James. "So where are the rest?"</p><p>"Following the battle with the Dark Elves, I entrusted my Warriors Three with finding a hiding place for the Aether," said Thor. "They then left it under the guardianship of a being known as the Collector."</p><p>"Oh. 'Cause that doesn't sound ominous or anything," James muttered. "Maybe you ought to add that part to your bedtime story, hmm?"</p><p>"All right, all right," Steve said as he checked the clock again. He had already been away from Peter longer than he felt comfortable with, and he could tell by Tony's non-stop fidgeting that he was antsy to return as well. "So that accounts for the Reality Stone, the Space Stone, and the Soul Stone. Thor, what about the rest?"</p><p>"Unfortunately, Captain, I am unaware of the location of the other two stones," Thor said sadly. "Or rather, three, now that the Mind Stone has been taken. Both the Power Stone and the Time Stone remain hidden even to me. But I must reaffirm my desire to remove the tesseract from this place as soon as it is feasible. Having two stones in one place is far too dangerous, especially with the risk it presents to your people."</p><p>"All right," Steve said grimly. He found himself wishing yet again that Howard Stark had just left the damn thing down in the ocean, where it had fallen from the <em>Valkyrie</em>. Then SHIELD would've never gotten their hands on it, and tried to mess with it, which is what drew the Chitauri to Earth in the first place, and—</p><p><em>It does us no good to dwell on the things that we can't change, </em>Steve's mind reminded him, causing him to scowl. It was something that he frequently said to both Peter and Tony, whenever the situation granted it. But he often had difficulty believing it himself.</p><p>"And how do you plan to remove the tesseract from Earth?" he asked.</p><p>"Well, unfortunately, that does present a bit of a problem," said Thor. "Seeing as how the Earth possesses little in the way of interstellar travel—"</p><p>"You mean, like absolutely nothing in the way of, right?" Tony cut in. "Like, we literally cannot do it. Our best space shuttles can only go to the moon and back, and even then, all the goddamn red tape we'd have to wade through first would make it impossible to get anything done in a reasonable amount of time, so—"</p><p>"But I thought you guys already had a ship?" Sam asked. "Isn't that how you got here in the first place?"</p><p>Thor shifted in his chair, an embarrassed look on his face. "Yes, well… I'm afraid that the ship is not currently space-worthy."</p><p>"And why not?" asked James.</p><p>"Because in all of my time as a youth engrossed in my studies on Asgard, I never elected to learn how to fly such a vessel," Thor said, rather petulantly. "And therefore I did not learn how to land such a vessel either."</p><p>"So… what, it's broken?" Bruce asked. "You broke the ship?"</p><p>"You broke the bloody ship?" added Clint, for some reason in a very strange English accent. A stunned silence fell across the table as every head slowly turned to look at him. "Oh, come on, haven't any of you ever seen Galaxy Quest? It's a classic!"</p><p>"I have!" Bucky said, speaking up for the first time since they all sat down. He smiled in Sam's direction, obviously very proud of himself. "I understood that reference."</p><p>"Yeah, okay, but that still doesn't solve our problem here," said James. "How's Thor supposed to get the tesseract off of Earth without a flyable ship?"</p><p>"Well, I suppose I could give it a look-see," Tony said. "I'm sure Bruce and I could figure out some way to jury-rig it into flying again. But there's no way I'm leaving here until we know that Pete's gonna be okay, and since we don't know how long that's gonna be—"</p><p>"It's all right, Tony," said Bruce. "I can head over to New Asgard with Thor and take a look at things first, and then you can just come over when you're ready. No one expects you to be away from your son while he's recovering."</p><p>"Thank you, Bruce. Tony and I both appreciate it very much," Steve said. Not that he figured anyone would insist on Tony leaving Peter while he was unconscious, but it was still nice to hear.</p><p>"Yeah. Thanks, big guy," added Tony.</p><p>"Yeah, sure," said Bruce. "But none of my PhDs are in repairing or flying an alien ship, so don't be too surprised when you get there and things are worse than they were."</p><p>"I highly doubt that," said Steve. "All right. While Bruce is heading back to New Asgard with Thor, I think the rest of us should concentrate on researching methods to repel the effects of these stones, and that we should get started as soon as possible. Dismissed."</p><p>A chorus of murmured assent erupted from the team members, followed by the loud scraping of chairs against the polished linoleum floor. Steve and Tony hung back until everyone else had exited the room, with Steve turning to Tony as soon as they were alone.</p><p>"Is there a reason why you never told me that Loki tried to use the Mind Stone on you?" he asked.</p><p>"Uh, maybe because you were already freaked out enough after that whole thing?" Tony said with a frown. "And it didn't work anyway, so what's the big deal?"</p><p>"What's the big deal?" Steve exclaimed. "Tony, in case you haven't noticed, you're a pretty big deal to me! And you know I don't like it when you keep secrets from me!"</p><p>"I wasn't keeping secrets!" Tony said, dangerously close to shouting. "I was just—" He drew back, shaking his head. "Look. You were already so upset about the fact that I flew that missile through the portal—"</p><p>"And when you got thrown out of the penthouse window," Steve added.</p><p>"Well, yeah, that too," said Tony. "I guess I didn't think that in the grand scheme of things it was all that important."</p><p>Steve stared at him for three more heartbeats before his shoulders dropped and he stepped back, raking his hands through his hair. How Tony could still believe that surviving yet another potentially traumatic event wasn't important was beyond him. Steve's memories of that entire time were awful, and not only because of Tony's flight through the portal or because he was tossed out the window. Natasha had been right during the briefing, the Mind Stone had been playing tricks on the entire team without them knowing, causing Steve and Tony to have some of the most brutal arguments that they'd ever had as a couple.</p><p>And with their relationship as new as it had been back then, Steve knew that Tony was still haunted by those arguments. He would never admit such fears to Steve's face, but Tony's nightmares never lied, and were often far more telling than he was while awake.</p><p>"Sweetheart," he said as he curled his arms around Tony's waist. "I don't know how else to say this, so I'm just gonna say it. I need you to tell me what's going on with you, and that means everything, okay? Even the stuff that you don't like talking about."</p><p>"Steve," Tony started, but Steve pressed his fingertips to his lips, cutting him off.</p><p>"No, Tony, right now I just need you to listen to me," he said. "I hope by now you've realised that nothing you say to me could possibly change how much I love you, or how much I love Peter, so please, <em>please</em> don't try and keep secrets from me. I can't—I just can't handle it."</p><p>It seemed like an entire year passed as Tony stared up at Steve, his lower lip shaking. "Okay, honey," he finally whispered. "I won't."</p><p>"Thank you," Steve said, nearly slumping in relief. He pressed a kiss to Tony's forehead, taking his hand. "Let's go see our boy now, hmm?"</p><p>They found George and Gwen Stacy in Peter's room, just where Steve had left them. As soon as they stepped inside, George Stacy shot to his feet, explaining that Peter's vital signs hadn't wavered in the slightest while they were gone.</p><p>"I hope it's okay that I told her she could get some rest," he said as he gestured towards Gwen, who was curled up on Steve's chair, sound asleep with her hand still clutching Peter's. "She's pretty wiped out from everything."</p><p>"Of course it was," Steve said as he shook Stacy's hand. "Tony and I have arranged a car to take you and Gwen back to the city whenever you're ready."</p><p>"Thank you," said Stacy. He gathered up his hat and coat, glancing back at his sleeping daughter. "You know, Captain, Mr Stark, if I were a normal father, this is where I would tell you to tell your boy to stay the hell away from my daughter, since she can't seem to escape the weird and dangerous incidents that follow your family around like a lost puppy. And I'm not ashamed to tell you both that that very thought has crossed my mind more than once. But since I'm apparently not a normal father, as Gwen has seen the need to remind me on multiple occasions over the years, that means I've come to the conclusion that even if I were to demand such a thing, nothing would change." Stacy paused, sucking in a deep breath as he looked down at Peter, following the line of his arm to where his fingers were locked with Gwen's. "Gwen is one of the most stubborn young women that I've ever seen, second only to her intellect, which means if I were to tell her that she needed to stay away from your son, there's no way she would listen to me. As much as I hate to admit it, she believes that she loves him, and… well… who am I to deny my only daughter something—or someone—she loves?"</p><p>A knot rose in Steve's throat, one that he hastily attempted to swallow down. He understood completely where Stacy was coming from. It was a father's job to protect his children from harm, to keep them as safe as possible. And as a police officer, Steve suspected that it had to be especially difficult for Stacy to not be able to protect his daughter from the Avenger-level events that tended to occur far more frequently than Steve wished.</p><p>But on the other hand, just like Stacy had said about Gwen, Steve knew how much Peter adored Gwen, and how devastated he would be if they were forced to end their relationship against their will. Gwen complimented Peter in ways that reminded Steve of his and Tony's relationship, and to lose her would not only break Peter's heart, but Steve and Tony's as well.</p><p>"That's very noble of you, Chief Stacy," Steve said quietly. "And I know Peter appreciates your… understanding. None of these events have been his fault, and in fact—"</p><p>"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Captain," interrupted Stacy. "While I'm not a superhero, I do at least understand the pressures that come with having a dangerous occupation. I just felt that you both would appreciate some candour in this matter."</p><p>"Candour is always good," said Tony. "No sense in beating around the bush."</p><p>"Exactly," Stacy said as he offered Tony his hand, nodding as he shook it. "Why waste the words when you don't have to, hmm?"</p><p>"I've never been a fan of wasting words," Tony said as Stacy moved over to Gwen, gently shaking her good shoulder. She woke with a start, her face screwing into a look of despair as she noticed Peter still lying in bed, as still as could be.</p><p>"Oh," she said, rubbing her eyes. "I was—I was kinda hoping he'd—that he'd wake up while I was sleeping."</p><p>"It's probably going to be a few days, Gwen," Steve said gently. "But we'll let you and your father know as soon as he does wake up, all right?"</p><p>"Thank you," she said as she stifled a yawn. "Can you also please tell him that I—well, you know what, nevermind. I—I'll tell him when I talk to him."</p><p>"C'mon, sweetie, let's get you home, hmm?" Stacy said as he helped Gwen into her coat. "Your mother's pretty worried."</p><p>"The car's right outside the entrance to this building," Steve said as they headed for the door.</p><p>"Thank you, Captain," said Stacy. "Mr Stark, please let us know if there's anything else we can do for you."</p><p>"Thanks," Tony murmured. As soon as the door clicked shut, Tony made a beeline for the abandoned chair, lifting Peter's hand to his lips as tears spilled down his cheeks.</p><p>"Oh my sweet boy," he whispered as he pressed kisses all along Peter's hand and wrist. He let out a sort of morbid chuckle as Steve settled into the second chair. "You'd think that I'd be used to seeing him like this with how sick was all the time, but—"</p><p>"I can't imagine ever getting used to seeing your child like this, sweetheart," Steve said, draping his arm across Tony's shoulders. "I know I'm sure not."</p><p>Tony nodded, sniffing as he turned his head into Steve's chest. "Tell me again, honey, please? 'Cause I'm just—I think—I just really need to hear it, and—"</p><p>"This wasn't your fault, Tony," Steve said in his Captain's voice. "Absolutely not at all."</p><p>Two more tears tracked down Tony's cheeks as he nodded. "And—and the other thing?"</p><p>"I love you," Steve said, without missing a beat. "I love you, and I love Peter, and I'm never going to leave you. Not ever."</p><p>"Yeah, that's it," Tony rushed out. He scrubbed his palm down his face and sat back up, turning back to face Peter. "You hear that, Pete? Papa's never gonna leave us, so we're gonna be just fine."</p><p>"Dad's right, little guy," Steve said as he placed his hand on Peter's leg. "I'm here to stay."</p><p>
  <em>Till death do us part.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>"No, no, no, that's still not the right part, big guy," Tony said, trying hard to hold onto his frustration. He had always despised video conferences, and especially ones that involved trying to coach Bruce into repairing an alien spacecraft. But it was either that or fly out to New Asgard himself, and with Peter now on day five of his coma and showing no signs that he was ready to wake up, unfortunately the video conference was all Tony could offer.</p><p>"You do remember that none of my PhDs are in repairing spacecraft, right?" Bruce said, obviously just as frustrated as Tony.</p><p>"Yeah, you might've mentioned that a time or three," Tony said, rolling his eyes. "In the last sixty seconds or so. There! It's right there, right by your hand!"</p><p>Bruce let out an excited grunt as he finally located the part Tony had been coaching him to find for the last ten minutes. "Is this it?"</p><p>"Yep, hence why I said, 'right by your hand'," Tony said. "Now, point your phone at it so JARVIS can send me a hologram."</p><p>About three seconds later a bluish holographic model of something that resembled a catalytic converter appeared in the open space next to Peter's bed. Tony's eyebrows knitted together as he walked slowly around it, running his fingers along his unkempt goatee as he tried to figure out how the thing was supposed to look.</p><p>"Okay, so, if I'm reading this right, which isn't a promise, by the way, it looks to me like part of this thing is charred," Tony said. "Do you know if Thor has any spares of these parts?"</p><p>"Ah, I highly doubt it, Tony," Bruce said. "Thor barely knew where the ON button was, so—"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, that's what I figured," muttered Tony. "JARVIS?"</p><p>"At your service, sir," answered JARVIS.</p><p>"Give me your best guess as to how this thing's supposed to look and overlay in red, yeah?"</p><p>The hologram flickered as it became overlaid with a similar schematic in red, displaying what appeared to be a fully-functional component.</p><p>"This is my best attempt, sir," said JARVIS. "However, without any reference to go by, I cannot promise that—"</p><p>"I'm pretty sure your guesses are worth a lot more than most people's certainty, J," Tony cut in. "Go ahead and render a new part that matches these specs, yeah? Use the same gold/ titanium alloy composition that I use for my suits."</p><p>"You mean, that you used to use for your suits, do you not, sir?" JARVIS asked.</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean," grumbled Tony. "How soon can you get it out there to Bruce?"</p><p>"Assuming no issues with the render and construction, I'm estimating that it can be delivered to Dr Banner in approximately ten hours."</p><p>Tony groaned. Fixing the dumb ship had already taken a lot longer than he'd thought it would, and the thought of waiting yet another ten hours only to find out that there was still more to fix disturbed him in ways he had no desire to admit. But if getting the tesseract off of Earth was as important as Thor said it was, then he really had no other choice in the matter.</p><p>"As soon as you can, J," he said. "Did ya hear that, big guy?"</p><p>"Loud and clear, Tony," answered Bruce. "And, thanks. Now I can maybe go take a nap before the little old lady who runs one of the pubs here tries to get me to eat more of her lutefisk. Yeesh. I'm sorry, but that stuff is nasty!"</p><p>"Yeah, I'm sure it is," said Tony. "Let me know when the part gets there and I'll walk you through installing it, yeah?"</p><p>"You got it. Talk to you then."</p><p>Setting down his StarkPad, Tony rubbed at his temples, trying to stave off the headache that persisted in taunting him. Steve had gone over to the residence about twenty minutes ago to make them some food, and while Tony wasn't hungry in the slightest, he knew that if he didn't eat, Steve would try and cut off his coffee intake, and that was simply unacceptable.</p><p>The thought of sleeping, or even trying to sleep, or even thinking of trying to sleep while Peter was sick… well… it was ridiculous, is what it was.</p><p>Still, Tony would pretend to try, if for nothing else than to help ease some of Steve's mother hen-ing a bit. Tony's capacity to say no to his husband's pleading blue eyes was already past the point of supersaturation, especially when that damn worry wrinkle came into play.</p><p>Hence the need for coffee.</p><p>A few minutes later Steve returned, bearing an entire tray of sandwiches, fruit, and chips, along with a large Thermos full of Tony's favourite coffee blend. While they ate, Steve brought Tony up to speed on the repair estimates for the damaged SHIELD building, adding that Nick Fury had already managed to move his people into the temporary office trailers that Tony had brought out from storage.</p><p>"Fury doesn't miss a beat, does he?" Tony said as Steve polished off his third sandwich. "I swear that man could go to his own ma's funeral in the morning, and then be back at work in the afternoon."</p><p>"Well, some people tend to show their grief a bit differently than others, mo grá," Steve said. "I saw some of that during the war. Guys would be talking to their buddy standing right next to 'em one second, and the next he'd be flat on the ground, shot right through the head or the chest." He let out a sigh, one so heavy that Tony reached for his hand. "And during a battle, you can't stop, or you might get shot too. You just have to keep going, and that makes it even harder."</p><p>"I'm sorry, honey," Tony whispered, kicking himself for bringing one of Steve's long-buried demons back up to the surface. "I didn't mean to—"</p><p>"No, I know you didn't," Steve said, attempting a smile. "And I didn't mean to imply that. I'm just… I just feel like I'm being pulled in all these different directions, when all I really want to do is curl up in bed with you and Peter and just sleep for the next week or so."</p><p>"Okay, now you're starting to worry me," Tony said. He brushed his thumb across Steve's knuckles, something that Steve always found soothing. "Did someone say something to you while you were in the kitchen? 'Cause if they did, then—"</p><p>"No, Tony, it's nothing specific," answered Steve. "I mean, Nat and Wanda were in there while I was in there, and they were asking about Peter, and about how Bruce was doing, and wondering if they should go ahead and order Pietro some more shoes, 'cause he's already worn through the entire supply that we got for him when they first arrived. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but the whole time I just kept thinking about how I just wanted to get back to my son." He brought Tony's hand to his lips, kissing the back of it. "I'm just tired. And I don't think it's the kind of tired that sleep can fix."</p><p>Tony's throat tightened at how utterly defeated Steve sounded, and how helpless he felt to offer any sort of comfort to him. The kind of bone-deep mental fatigue was all-too-familiar to Tony, and not something he would wish on anyone.</p><p>And even less on the man that he loved.</p><p>"Well, honey, I know you just said that you don't think this is the kind of tired that sleep can fix, but maybe you should try and catch a few winks, yeah?" Tony suggested. "It's been awhile since you've gotten any sleep that was more than a ten minute catnap."</p><p>"Oh, like you're one to talk," Steve retorted, kissing Tony's hand again to help take the sting from his words. "How 'bout we both try. You haven't really slept since the night this all happened, and—" He broke off, glancing mournfully at their son. "And I think Peter would like it if we curled up with him for awhile."</p><p>Tony hesitated for only about three seconds before setting down his Thermos. He still didn't believe that he'd be able to actually sleep, but the thought of curling up next to his boy for a couple of hours did sound pretty nice.</p><p>If nothing else, his back could definitely use the break. Even though the chairs he and Steve had been sitting on for the past week were pretty comfortable, they still weren't a bed.</p><p>"I think that's an excellent idea, honey."</p><p>Careful to avoid jostling any of Peter's wires and tubes, Tony and Steve settled in on either side of him, both of their arms draped across his stomach. Not surprisingly, Steve was out in a matter of minutes, with his face smooshed into the pillow exactly like he slept back at home. Tony's heart ached as he smoothed Steve's hair back from his forehead, trailing his fingertips down his cheek to his strong jaw.</p><p>"Time to stand down now, soldier," Tony whispered. "The war can wait for a bit."</p><p>Settling in on his side, Tony moved his hand to cup Peter's cheek, his thumb brushing along his cheekbone as he kissed his forehead. He and Steve had washed Peter's hair earlier that day, and the smell of his shampoo had permeated into the bedding, making the entire bed smell like green apples. Closing his eyes, Tony breathed in, allowing the comforting scent to wash over him like a soft breeze.</p><p><em>Please, buddy, </em>he thought. <em>Please, come back to us soon.</em></p>
<hr/><p>It felt like only a few seconds had gone by when Tony suddenly jerked awake, certain that he'd felt Peter's elbow dig into his side. Peeling his eyes open, he was startled to find that it was already dark outside, with the stars glowing in the distance through the wide windows.</p><p>"What the—?" he muttered as he pushed himself up onto his elbow. On the opposite side of the bed Steve was still out, his strong arm sprawled across both Peter and Tony in that protective papa-bear hold that they both adored.</p><p>"Up," Tony suddenly heard from next to him, nearly sending him off the bed. Swallowing hard, Tony glanced down to find Peter staring right up at him, his huge eyes full of confusion.</p><p>"Up?" Tony said as he reached a shaking hand towards Peter's face. 'Up' was what Peter always used to say when he woke up from his naps as a toddler, and was also the very first word he spoke after he woke up down in Miami.</p><p>"Buddy? You're up?"</p><p>Slowly, Peter nodded, his disheveled curls flopping over his forehead.</p><p>"Uh huh," he said as he licked his dry lips, his brown eyes a bit less confused now. "Dad? What—what happened to me?"</p><p>"Oh God, buddy," Tony rasped as he pitched forward, burying his face in Peter's hair as he peppered him with kisses. "You've been out for awhile, but I think—I think you're gonna be okay now. Helen said we just needed to give you time, so—"</p><p>"So, I was out?" Peter asked. "Again?"</p><p>"Peter!" Steve suddenly exclaimed as he pulled Peter into a careful hug. "Oh my God, little guy, it's so good to hear your voice again!"</p><p>"Hey, Papa," Peter said as he tucked his head under Steve's chin. "How long was I out this time?"</p><p>"About a week, bud," answered Tony. "Little less."</p><p>"A <em>week?" </em>Peter yelped. "I was out for another <em>week?"</em></p><p>"Well, at least it wasn't long enough to need another feeding tube," Tony said. "And Helen said you hit your head pretty hard, so—"</p><p>"Oh my God, Gwen!" Peter cried. "Daddy, where's—where is she? Is she—?"</p><p>"Gwen's fine, little guy. She's at home with her family," Steve said as he patted Peter's back. "She told us that you saved her."</p><p>"Oh," Peter said as he slumped back down into his pillows. He raised his left arm, scowling at the two separate intravenous lines flowing into it. "Well, at least there's that."</p><p>"Hey now. What's that supposed to mean?" asked Steve. "You were a hero that night, little guy. Dad and I couldn't be prouder of you."</p><p>"Mmm," grumbled Peter. "'Cept I'm such a big hero that I can't seem to keep myself awake whenever anything bad happens. What good is a hero who's always falling asleep on the job?"</p><p>"No, no, we're not gonna have any kind of talk like that," Tony said firmly. "And especially not now, right after we've gotten you back. It is not your fault that you hit your head during that attack, bud, and there is no one who thinks any less of you for it. You cannot control how your body chooses to heal itself."</p><p>"Mmm, if you say so." Peter bit down on his bottom lip, glancing between Tony and Steve. "But how am I ever gonna be a hero like you guys if I can't keep from getting hurt every single time?" he asked, nearly tearing Tony's heart down the middle.</p><p>"That'll just come with practise, buddy," he murmured. "You remember the first suit that I built, right? The one that you said looked like the Iron Giant?"</p><p>Peter let out a soft giggle. "Well, that's 'cause it did. But I don't think that one should count."</p><p>"Well, I was working with pretty limited resources, so you're right about that," said Tony. "But seriously, buddy, if I constantly judged myself on stuff that I did when I was sixteen, well… let's just say that you probably wouldn't be here, 'cause I wouldn't be here either."</p><p>"Yeah, but—"</p><p>"Nope," Tony stated. "You've officially used up all your buts. No more until you've been disconnected from all of this stuff and had something to eat, yeah?"</p><p>"Mmm, all right," said Peter. "I am pretty hungry."</p><p>"That's our boy," said Steve. "JARVIS?"</p><p>"I have already informed Dr Cho that Master Peter has awoken, Captain," said JARVIS. "She will be arriving momentarily."</p><p>"And I'll go and make you some food, okay, little guy?" Steve said as he sat up on the bed. "What sounds good to you?"</p><p>Peter shrugged. "Whatever you're having will be fine, Papa."</p><p>"Ahh, how 'bout we start with some soup or something like that, hmm?" said Tony. "No sense in having it all come right back up again."</p><p>"Sounds good," Steve said, ruffling Peter's hair. He ducked down as Peter dropped his head again, tilting his chin up to look at him. "Peter, you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Absolutely nothing."</p><p>"Uh huh," said Peter. "But you're my dads. You're supposed to say stuff like that. But what if—what if I hadn't caught Gwen when she went over the edge? Then what would've happened to her?"</p><p>"But you can't think like that, little guy," Steve insisted. "Part of being a hero is that you can't be always second-guessing yourself. You just have to follow your instincts, and the best way to do that is to hone those instincts through training."</p><p>Peter stuck his bottom lip out as he nodded. "You really think so?"</p><p>"Are you kidding me?" Steve said. "Peter, when you grow up, you're gonna be the best of all of us. And that is a fact."</p><p>"It is?" Peter asked, with such a childish hope that Tony's heart fluttered. Leave it to Steve to find just the perfect words to turn Peter's mood around.</p><p>"Absolutely, bud," Tony said as he kissed Peter's head. "No question about it."</p><p>
  <em>As long as you get to grow up first.</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much for reading!  Don’t forget to hit that kudos button and drop me a comment! 💖</p><p>Emoji Key for those who don't know what to say in the comments!<br/>❤ = you wish you could kudos again<br/>😭 = I got you right in the feels<br/>🔥 = this was so hot/ sweet!<br/>🐰 = it’s so fluffy!<br/>😣 = the angst is killing me!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>A small section of this chapter was inspired by <a href="https://monireh89.tumblr.com/post/633399782316163072/my-wrist-is-killing-me-but-drawing-is-like-a">THIS</a> amazing drawing.  Seriously, the artists on tumblr never fail to amaze me! 💖</em>
</p><p>
  
</p>
<hr/><p>"Hang on, you're going <em>where?"</em> Ned exclaimed, so loudly that at least a half a dozen students sitting at a nearby table stopped talking to look in their direction. "You get to go to <em>Wakanda!"</em></p><p>"Ned! Not so loud!" Gwen hissed. "No one's supposed to know about this!"</p><p>"Aww, but it's just not fair!" Ned insisted, thankfully a bit quieter. "I mean, I always kinda thought that Wakanda wasn't even a real place. You know, like Atlantis, or that Nidavellir place that you read about in your mythology books, and now you're telling me you guys get to spend spring break down there? And what'll come after that, space? Some other planet that we've never even heard of? I mean… geez! How come I can't have parents who are superheroes? I'd give just about anything to see a place like Wakanda! Just once!"</p><p>"Well, according to Uncle Thor, Nidavellir is actually a real place too," said Peter. He glanced furtively around the lunchroom, grateful that the rest of the students seemed to have resumed their own conversations. "He told me that's where his hammer was forged."</p><p>"The one that his mad sister destroyed?" asked Ned.</p><p>"Yep, that's the one," answered Peter. "He still seems kind of lost without it, actually. Almost like he's mourning for it."</p><p>"Well, I'd mourn if I lost my AirPods, so I guess I can understand that," said Ned. "So then if Nidavellir is a real place, do you think Atlantis is real too?"</p><p>Peter shrugged. "Eh, I don't know. Pretty sure none of us have come across any mermen yet, so… who knows? Maybe that's one mythical place that's actually still mythical."</p><p>"Oh yeah, that's a good point." Ned said. "But I'm still gonna predict that you'll meet one at some point. Although probably not until after you meet a sorcerer. For some reason that just seems more realistic."</p><p>"More realistic than a merman?" Gwen asked with a giggle. "You make it sound like we'll just be walking down the street one day and hear someone say <em>Alohomora </em>or something because they locked themselves out of their apartment."</p><p>"Well, I've actually tried the whole <em>Accio</em> thing a few times when I've been trying to reach my phone," Peter admitted. "The look on my dad's face was pretty funny, I think he thought I was speaking in tongues or something."</p><p>"Oh, that is so awesome!" Ned said with wide eyes. "Did it work?"</p><p>Peter's eyebrows knitted together. "No, Ned, it didn't. I'm not a wizard, right? Or a sorcerer, for that matter."</p><p>"Aw, bummer," said Ned. "'Cause it would've been pretty cool if it had."</p><p>"Well, just in case either of you were wondering, the Force doesn't work either," Gwen said, rather sheepishly. "Or at least I can't seem to make it work, so…"</p><p>Peter grinned, curling his arm around her waist. "That's okay," he said softly. "I'm not Force-sensitive either."</p><p>
  <em>Just a weird, mutant, spider-kid who can climb up walls.</em>
</p><p>"So, does this trip you're going on have anything to do with the attack you guys had up there at the Compound?" Ned asked.</p><p>"Yeah, it does," Peter said in a low voice. "But since the relationship the Avengers have with the Wakandan king isn't officially recognised by our government, we're not exactly advertising it too much at the moment."</p><p>"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense," said Ned. "I tell you though, my mom is still really upset about what happened up there. She keeps telling my dad that we need to buy this goofy thingy that she saw on the shopping channel so we can protect our house in case there's another attack."</p><p>"Oh, really?" Gwen said. "And what's that?"</p><p>Ned shrugged. "Some kind of signal scrambler thing-a-ma-jig. Apparently it's supposed to disrupt targeting signals if something's aiming at you. I tried to tell her that that's not really how that stuff works, and even if it was, if this is coming from those same aliens who attacked us before it probably wouldn't help anyway. But ever since she saw it she's been bugging my dad about it, which means we'll probably end up getting one."</p><p>Gwen shot Peter a side eye, placing her hand on his knee under the table. "Well, I guess if whatever this thing is gives your mom some peace of mind, then it's probably fine. My mom has a police scanner in the house. It's what she listens to during the day, off and on. And my dad knows that he's supposed to check in with her at least three times during his shifts or else she starts to worry."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess," said Ned. "It doesn't help that the thing's going for over five thousand dollars though. Something tells me that's a bit more expensive than a police scanner."</p><p>"Whoa," Gwen said with wide eyes. "Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with you there. But… I guess if you can afford it, then…?"</p><p>"Mmm," grumbled Ned. "It'll probably mean we won't be able to go see the Lion King when my grandma's in town though."</p><p>"Well, maybe we can all go together sometime?" Gwen suggested. "The three of us? I bet that'd be fun."</p><p>"Really?" Ned said, his face lighting up so much that Peter felt a stab of guilt. Ned had been his best friend since elementary school, but ever since he and Gwen got together, he had been spending most of his limited free time with her. It had been fine when Ned was dating their classmate Betty, but apparently they decided to take a so-called "break" once the school year started and never ended up getting back together. At least, if the fact that Peter never saw Betty too far away from Brad Davis had anything to do with it."</p><p>"Absolutely," Peter said. "We have those two half-days right at the end of the school year, right? I'll ask my dad if we can get tickets for one of the matinee shows, and we'll go."</p><p>"Oh, that'd be awesome!" exclaimed Ned. "We could make it like a going-away party for Gwen!"</p><p>Another sharp stab pierced Peter's heart, this time of pain and worry. He didn't like thinking about Gwen going away at the end of the school year, and usually tried his hardest to forget about it.</p><p>Tried, but ultimately failed. It was almost like the more he tried to not think about it, the more he did.</p><p>"That sounds great, Ned," said Gwen. "I'll ask my parents about it tonight, okay?"</p><p>"Tell them my dad will buy the tickets," Peter said. He'd offer to drive the three of them as well, but knowing his dads, they'd probably say no.</p><p><em>Not like driving in the city's all that bad, </em>Peter thought, rather grumpily. <em>Can't even go faster than thirty miles an hour most of the time anyway.</em></p><p>He supposed he shouldn't have been as surprised as he was, given who his dads were. But in the two weeks since he woke up from his coma—<em>his third freaking coma!</em>—they had somehow managed to get even <em>more </em>overprotective, something that Peter hadn't thought possible. With Dad out in New Asgard trying to figure out how to repair Uncle Thor's spaceship for the last week and a half, Papa had even started coming inside the school to watch the last few minutes of their Decathlon practises instead of just waiting out in the parking lot like he used to. He'd stand there in the doorway of the gym with his arms crossed over his front in his "concerned Papa pose", eyeing Peter like he was afraid he was going to disappear right in front of his eyes or something.</p><p>Papa had never been good at hiding his emotions, and even less so since the attack up at the Compound. And the intense fear that had been constantly plastered all over Papa's face ever since the Compound attack was not something that Peter liked to see.</p><p>Peter did have to admit that it was kinda funny how flustered Mr Harrington got whenever Papa appeared though. Most of Peter's classmates had gotten used to having one or more of the Avengers showing up at the school on any given day, but whenever Mr Harrington happened to see either Dad or Papa, he practically dropped to his knees in worship. And while Dad tended to take it in stride, Peter knew that it bothered Papa quite a bit and he was just too polite to say anything. Papa never liked drawing extra attention to himself. The celebrity status he had garnered from being Captain America and from being married to Iron Man was already more than he wanted.</p><p>"Hey," Gwen murmured as they said goodbye to Ned and exited the lunchroom. She elbowed Peter gently on the arm. "Where'd you go?"</p><p>"Oh, nowhere," Peter said as he attempted a smile. "Just a bit tired."</p><p>"Well, you've been using that excuse ever since the school year started, so pardon me if I don't quite believe you," said Gwen. "Did something new happen?"</p><p>"No, no, nothing new," Peter said quickly. <em>Just the same old crap we've been dealing with ever since October. Or actually, Afghanistan.</em> "I think it's just 'cause my dad's been gone. Papa's never quite normal when Dad's gone."</p><p>"And neither are you, from what I've seen," Gwen said gently. "It's understandable to miss your father when he's away."</p><p>Peter shrugged. "Yeah, I know."</p><p>"Do you know when he's coming back yet?" asked Gwen. "He's been gone for a while already, hasn't he?"</p><p>"Yeah, well, New Asgard is still pretty new, so… now that they have him out there I guess they're trying to get everything done at once," Peter said. "Hopefully it won't be too much longer. Spring break starts next week, so he'll have to come back sometime in the next few days."</p><p>"Oh, yeah. Just in time for you guys to leave again," Gwen said with a sigh. She leaned against the row of lockers as Peter tackled his combination lock. "I was kinda hoping we'd get to spend some time together during break."</p><p>Peter's shoulders sagged, nearly causing him to drop his History textbook. "Yeah, me too," he said sadly. "But you know my dads. There's no way they'd leave me here by myself after what happened at the Compound." He didn't add that despite having to be away from Gwen yet again, he was actually looking forward to getting to see Wakanda.</p><p>"Well, if that's the case, then why didn't you and Captain Rogers go to New Asgard with your dad?" asked Gwen.</p><p>Peter let out a frustrated noise. "Actually, they considered it, but since I'd already managed to miss an entire week of school because I hit my stupid head, they decided it wasn't worth it!" He cringed as soon as the words left his mouth, reaching for Gwen's hand when she instinctively stepped away. "I'm sorry, Gwen, I didn't mean to snap at you. I just—"</p><p>"Miss your dad," Gwen finished with a nod. "Yes, I know. And your head's not stupid, by the way. If it was, then I'd be first in our class instead of you."</p><p>"Well…" Peter said, attempting a smile. He didn't add that one of the biggest reasons why he and Papa hadn't gone with Dad was because New Asgard was located just a bit too close to where Papa had been frozen for so many years, and Dad hadn't wanted him awakening that particular demon at the moment, a decision that Papa eventually came to agree with. Papa's current demon-fighting repertoire was already busy enough, so that one was just going to have to wait its turn.</p><p>Glancing up at the clock, Peter braced himself as the bell rang, announcing the end of the lunch hour.</p><p>"Shall we?" he asked Gwen, holding out his elbow for her to take. His heart gave a flutter when she smiled that smile that always made her pretty green eyes sparkle, taking his arm with a flourish.</p><p>"You got it," she said. "On to History."</p><p>Dodging various students as they headed down the hallway, Peter tried again to push all of his negative thoughts away. It was already April, for goodness sake, which meant he and Gwen only had about ten weeks before she left for Oxford for the summer, and the last thing he wanted was to spend all of that time moping around like a toddler.</p><p>He'd have plenty of time for that while she was gone.</p><p>And while Peter did miss his father, it was more the reason why he was gone that was bothering him. Dad had been going on business trips for as long as Peter could remember, and while he had told Gwen that Dad's visit to New Asgard was more of a courtesy visit to help Uncle Thor with some technical stuff, it wasn't exactly the whole truth.</p><p>Dad was trying to fix Uncle Thor's ship so he could remove the Tesseract from Earth, hopefully once and for all, and that was a mission that Peter was not at liberty to share with anyone, not even Gwen. Dad and Papa had decided while Peter was still in his coma that they needed to keep the theory regarding the infinity stones a secret for as long as possible, both to avoid a public panic and to prevent the U.S. government from trying to take over from the Avengers when they had no business doing so. At the moment, to the outside eye it appeared that Tony Stark was just lending his mechanical abilities to a member of his team, who just happened to be the god of thunder, and nothing more.</p><p>Even the news that Loki's sceptre had been taken had been kept a secret, with the official word from Director Fury being that a malfunctioning, out-of-control satellite crash was to blame for the attack up at the Compound.</p><p>And while Peter supposed that excuse sounded plausible enough, he was still pretty surprised at how easily the country had bought it.</p><p>Then again, the country had bought Dad and Papa's lie that Peter wasn't Spider-Man back after they were all kidnapped by Obie and Aldrich Killian, and that had been accompanied by actual video evidence, so… maybe the general public wasn't as smart as Peter was trying to give them credit for.</p><p>"You're doing it again," Gwen said as they turned a corner.</p><p>"Huh?" Peter said, rolling his eyes when Gwen giggled.</p><p>"That," she said as she pointed to his head. "It's like you're trapped inside there, just waiting for something horrible to happen."</p><p>Peter gulped, attempting to smile as they arrived outside their classroom. "Well, can you blame me? I had to watch you fly over the edge of the building, not knowing if I'd managed to catch you or not, and—" He broke off, blinking back tears as Gwen reached for his hand.</p><p>"Peter, I'm right here," she murmured. "You saved me, remember?"</p><p>"Yeah, I know," Peter said, sniffing. He tugged her over behind their classroom door, leaning down to give her a quick kiss. Blatant public displays of affection were not condoned at Midtown, and the last thing Peter needed was some nosy teacher or student ratting him out to his dads, but with how quickly weird things tended to happen to him and his loved ones, Peter didn't want to waste any chances to show his girl how much he cared for her.</p><p>"Peter," Gwen whispered as he drew back, wishing they were anywhere else but school. "It's okay."</p><p>"Not quite, but at least it's a bit better now," Peter answered. He pecked her quickly on the forehead, brushing his thumb across her cheekbone just as the bell started to ring, nearly causing him to jump out of his skin. He cried out as he slapped his hands over his ears, barely able to regain some of his composure as Gwen took his elbow, guiding him into their classroom.</p><p>"Shit," he breathed as he plopped down onto his seat, his heart thudding as he dug into his pocket for his earplugs. He had been trying to not use them or his glasses as often lately, thinking it was way past the time for him to be used to his genetic enhancements by now. But with how on edge he was with Dad out of town and the general uneasiness in his family, he hadn't yet been able to get through a day without them.</p><p>"You're looking a little pale there, Prince Peter," Flash Thompson sneered as he slid into his seat behind Peter. "You see another ghost or something in the hallway?"</p><p>"Oh, just shut it, Flash, okay?" Gwen retorted. "You don't know a thing about it, so why don't you do us all a favour and just keep your mouth shut."</p><p>Flash's eyes went wide as he raised his arms. "Well, okay then, Princess. Your wish is my command."</p><p>"All right, that's enough," said their teacher as she stepped into the classroom. "Now then, who wants to begin the discussion regarding the formation of the European Union?"</p><p>Silence fell across the classroom, as it usually did whenever a question like that was asked. Not too surprisingly, Gwen raised her hand about three seconds later, clearing her throat.</p><p>"Thank you, Miss Stacy," said the teacher. "Let's begin."</p><p>Resting his chin on his stack of books, Peter listened as Gwen launched into a monologue explaining that the goal of the Union had been to end the frequent and bloody wars between neighbouring countries that had culminated in the Second World War. As she continued on for the next five minutes or so, Peter closed his eyes, allowing the sound of her melodic voice to chip away at the massive load of fear and anxiety laying across his shoulders.</p><p>If only he could keep her at his side every single minute of every single day. Then he would maybe, <em>maybe</em> have a chance at functioning like a normal human being.</p><p>Unfortunately, it wasn't to be the case. Owing in large part to their teacher's desire to not only have one student dominate the conversation, soon after Gwen stopped talking, Peter felt his anxiety level start to tick back up, hovering at its usual position somewhere between Defcon three and four. It lasted all through the rest of their classes and into Decathlon practise, where Gwen kept them all hopping with her lightning round questions.</p><p>"Ned, who actually coined the term, 'Cold War' to describe the differences between the Communist East and the Democratic West?"</p><p>"Uhh, Herbert B Swoope," answered Ned.</p><p>"Excellent!" Gwen exclaimed, smiling as she flipped her index cards. "Cindy, in what U.S. state did Winston Churchill make his famous 'Iron Curtain' speech in 1946?"</p><p>"Um… Missouri?" Cindy said with a grimace.</p><p>"Yes, that's correct, but we gotta be a bit faster on the button or we'll never win this," said Gwen. "Peter, give me a one-sentence explanation of the Polish Solidarity Movement."</p><p>Peter grunted, sucking in air through his teeth as he thought how best to condense such a moment into a single sentence. "Ah, the Solidarity Movement began as a Polish labour union in one of their shipyards, and eventually grew powerful enough to win control of the government from the Polish Communists in the late 1980s."</p><p>"That is correct," Gwen said, flashing her million-watt smile at him. "And do you know the man's name who started it?"</p><p>"Lech Walesa," Peter said proudly. He and Uncle Bucky had just finished a really good book the other day on Poland's recovery from WWII, one that had discussed the Solidarity Movement at great length. Like Papa, Uncle Bucky was fascinated with history, and Peter really enjoyed working on all of his Decathlon topics with the two of them.</p><p>Ned had just correctly answered the year that the Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb when Papa appeared, taking up his usual spot in the gym's doorway. But he had barely gotten his arms settled into their crossed position when Mr Harrington suddenly gasped so loudly that he cut Gwen off in mid-sentence, gulping as he pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose.</p><p>"Ohh, Captain Rogers!" he said breathlessly. "Please, sir, feel free to come in and join us! I'm sure you would have some incredible first-hand input into these events that we're discussing!"</p><p>"Here we go," Peter said under his breath, watching through his eyelashes as Papa shifted on his feet, his cheeks already flushing pink.</p><p>"Oh no, please, I wouldn't want to interrupt your work," he said. "I'm just here to—"</p><p>"Oh, please, sir, I insist!" said Mr Harrington. "I mean, who better to enrich these young minds with tales of post-WWII life than the man who actually lived it, right?"</p><p>Peter groaned, his belly giving a hard swoop as he watched Papa's jaw tighten, only for a second before assuming what Dad always called his <em>give 'em hell </em>expression. His love for his current life notwithstanding, Papa did <em>not </em>like being reminded about his time in the ice, any more than Dad or Peter liked being reminded of their time in Afghanistan.</p><p>"Mr Harrington," Peter said before Papa could open his mouth. "Um, Captain Rogers didn't actually live through the post-WWII time. I mean, not really. He was frozen, remember?"</p><p>There was a three heartbeat or so pause while Mr Harrington glanced between Peter and Papa, his face finally drawing back into his exaggerated <em>oh, shit!</em> look that Peter had seen way too many times during their Decathlon trips, usually as the result of him misplacing something really important.</p><p>"Oh, I'm such an idiot!" the teacher said, slamming his forehead with his palm so hard that Peter was surprised he was able to stay upright. "Oh, please forgive me, Captain! I can't believe I said something so incredibly <em>inconsiderate!</em> I hope you're able to—"</p><p>"It's all right, Mr Harrington, really," Papa cut in. "Just… try and pretend that I'm not here."</p><p>"Oh, I'm pretty sure that'll be impossible, sir, but as I always say, one can always try," said Mr Harrington. Adjusting his glasses yet again, he turned back to Gwen. "If you will, Miss Stacy, please continue."</p><p>"Uh, thanks," said Gwen. She shot Peter a sly wink as she reshuffled her index cards. "Okay, Peter. Which two countries were first aided by what was known as the Truman Doctrine?"</p><p>"Turkey and Greece," Peter said quickly, pride welling up inside him when he noticed Papa's smile.</p><p>"That's correct," Gwen said. "Awesome job."</p><p>They continued on for another ten minutes or so, until Mr Harrington called an end to the practise, practically tripping over himself in his haste to rush over to Papa so he could shake his hand.</p><p>"I just want to tell you again what an honour it is to see you participating in your son's education like this, Captain Rogers," Mr Harrington gushed. "I've always been such a big proponent of parental involvement in a child's schooling, and you, sir, are just—"</p><p>"Thank you, Mr Harrington. I really appreciate it," Papa said in his Captain's voice. He leaned sideways, looking around the practically drooling teacher and begging Peter with his eyes. "Peter, are you ready to go?"</p><p>"Yep, I'm ready," Peter said as he pulled on his jacket and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He stepped back to allow Gwen to get in front of him, smiling when he saw Papa nod in appreciation.</p><p>"Hello, Captain Rogers," Gwen said as they reached the doors.</p><p>"Good afternoon, Gwen," Papa replied. "How was your day today?"</p><p>"Oh, you know," Gwen said with a shrug. "It was school."</p><p>"Well, it sure seems like you're ready for this next competition of yours," Papa said. "I was pretty impressed with how fast all of you were answering those questions."</p><p>"Well, it helps when we have such an awesome team," Gwen said, elbowing Peter on the arm. "I'm predicting that we'll win State this year."</p><p>"And I have no doubt that you're right about that," Papa said as they reached the exit doors. "Peter, you'd better zip up your jacket, little guy, it's still pretty brisk outside."</p><p>"Oh, yeah," Peter said, glowering down at the zipper that had somehow forgotten to zip itself. He drew it up to his neck, ducking down inside the collar of the down parka as Papa opened the doors and a blast of arctic air hit Peter right in the face.</p><p>Good ole New York City in April. Springy one day, and right back to winter the next.</p><p>"See you tomorrow?" Gwen asked as they headed towards Chief Stacy's patrol car, which was parked next to Papa's truck.</p><p>"You got it," Peter said as he squeezed her hand. He didn't dare try to kiss her in front of her father. "I'll call you, okay?"</p><p>"Sounds good."</p><p>"So, Uncle Sam's offered to cook dinner for us tonight," Papa said as he drove out onto the street. "He and Bucky are coming up around six if that's okay with you."</p><p>"Yeah, that sounds fine," Peter said, thudding his head against the window. Now that school was over his last remaining dregs of energy seemed to have seeped away, leaving behind nothing but exhaustion.</p><p>"You okay, little guy?" Papa asked as he pulled up to a red light. "Do you need me to stop and get you something to eat?"</p><p>Peter shook his head, closing his eyes. "No, I can wait till we get home," he said, stifling a yawn. "Just tired."</p><p>"Yeah, I can tell," Papa said as he briefly squeezed Peter's knee. "I talked to Dad right before I came to pick you up, and he told me that he's hoping he'll be able to come back home either tomorrow or the next day."</p><p>"Oh, that's good," Peter said. "Just in time to leave again."</p><p>Papa shot him a rather rueful smile. "Well, I'm hoping Wakanda won't be as stressful for him as New Asgard has been. And we'll all be down there together, which should help too."</p><p>"Oh, I know it will," said Peter. Now that he was away from the prying eyes of his classmates, he felt could freely admit just how badly he missed his dad. "I miss him."</p><p>"So do I, little guy," Papa said as they arrived inside the Tower garage. He gave Peter's knee another squeeze, his worry wrinkle firmly etched between his eyebrows. "C'mon. If you can get all of your homework done before dinner, I thought we might watch a movie with Uncle Sam and Uncle Bucky afterwards. Maybe it'll help take our mind off of things."</p><p>"Uh huh," said Peter. "Sounds good."</p><p>As evenings go, it wasn't too bad. After finishing his homework and helping Uncle Sam make a massive pot of his nana's famous gumbo, the four of them settled onto the couches in the living room to watch The Last Jedi, which Uncle Bucky especially loved. Since he had seen it multiple times before, Peter ended up only paying half attention, preferring to focus on his papa's strong heartbeat beneath his ear and how cute Uncle Sam and Uncle Bucky were all cuddled up on the opposite couch.</p><p>The only thing missing was Dad.</p><p>The elevator doors had barely closed behind Uncle Bucky and Uncle Sam when JARVIS announced that Dad was waiting to talk to him. Peter practically raced to his room, skidding to a stop in front of his viewscreen as Dad's tired face appeared. He was standing inside Uncle Thor's ship, which, Peter immediately noticed, so closely resembled the bridge of a Klingon Bird of Prey that there was no possible way it was a coincidence.</p><p>"Hey, buddy," he said, sounding as exhausted as he looked. "How's my boy?"</p><p>"I'm good," Peter said automatically, frowning when Dad quirked an eyebrow. "Seriously, Dad, I'm okay. I just… really miss you."</p><p>"Yeah, bud, me too," Dad said softly. "But Uncle Bruce and I made a lot of progress today, so I'm really hoping that I'll be able to wrap this up tomorrow, or the next day at the latest." He shot a kind of half-amused, half-frustrated glance off to the side, leaning closer to his screen. "If Uncle Bruce had been better able to follow my directions earlier, things might not have been as bad as they were when I got here. But unfortunately, he unwittingly—"</p><p>"Now, now, you're not blaming me for this whole mess again!" Peter heard Uncle Bruce call from somewhere inside the depths of the ship. "I didn't do anything! Wittingly or un!"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, big guy, all right." Dad rolled his eyes, scrubbing his palm down his face. "Here, you wanna come say hi to Pete?"</p><p>A loud crash and an immediate muffled, "Ow!" followed Dad's words, and Peter was giggling by the time Uncle Bruce appeared on the screen.</p><p>"Hey, Peter," said Uncle Bruce, his glasses slightly crooked on his face and gripping the side of his arm. "How's it going back in New York?"</p><p>"Oh, you know. It's going," said Peter. "How's New Asgard?"</p><p>"Well, aside from the fact that the climate in Calcutta was a helluva lot better, it's not too bad here," said Uncle Bruce. "Just a bit… cold. And way, way too much fish. I swear, after I leave here I'm never eating another fish. Like, ever in my life."</p><p>"Ah, you're just a big wuss!" said Dad from somewhere off to the side. "Lutefisk isn't near as bad as you keep saying!"</p><p>"No, it's actually worse," Uncle Bruce whispered, rather conspiratorially. "Just don't tell Thor I said so, okay?"</p><p>"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me, 'cause I don't like fish either," Peter whispered back. "Well, at least I don't like eating them. I like watching mine swim around in his tank though."</p><p>"See? 'Cause you're a smart kid," said Uncle Bruce. "Did your dad tell you that I'm gonna be going with Thor and Loki once we finally get this ship ready?"</p><p>"No, he didn't," Peter said, confused. "Why do you need to go too?"</p><p>"Well, the thought is that if we happen to run into trouble, then the other guy might be kinda handy to have around," said Uncle Bruce. "But I also thought it sounded like a nice break from the grind, you know? Go on a little joyride into space before getting back to the real work?"</p><p>"Better not tell it like that to my dad," Peter warned. Dad had told both Peter and Papa that after his flight through the portal and the massive army he saw amassed there, he had no desire to ever go into space again.</p><p>"No, no, I won't," said Uncle Bruce. "Hey, you take it easy, okay? I'm gonna give you back to your dad now."</p><p>"Uh huh. And you be careful!" Peter called as Uncle Bruce handed the phone back to Dad.</p><p>"You try and get some sleep tonight, bud, yeah?" Dad said. "You're looking pretty tired."</p><p>Peter shrugged. "Yeah, but Papa is too. You know none of us sleep well when you're gone."</p><p>"And I've already told him the same thing," said Dad. He pressed his fingers to his lips, blowing Peter a kiss just like he always used to when he was little. "I love you, bud. I'll see you soon."</p><p>"Uh huh. Love you too." As soon as the screen went blank, Peter flopped backwards onto his bed, only narrowly missing the corner of one of his textbooks with his head.</p><p>"Last thing I need now is another concussion," he muttered as he stacked the books into a pile, setting them on his bedside table.</p><p>"Peter?" Papa called from down the hallway. "Are you getting ready for bed, little guy?"</p><p>"Ah, yep!" Peter replied. "Just give me a couple minutes!"</p><p>Changing into his favourite Hulk pyjamas, Peter brushed his teeth and climbed under his covers, making a very poor attempt at a smile when Papa knocked on his slightly cracked door.</p><p>"Try and get some good sleep tonight, okay?" Papa said as he kissed Peter's forehead. "Hopefully we'll get to see Dad tomorrow."</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter said softly, his throat tight with tears he was trying to contain. He hadn't wanted to say anything, mainly because there wasn't anything that Papa could do about it, but the fact that he could still remember bits and pieces of his drug-induced dreams where Dad was dead haunted him. Aldrich Killian had forced all three of them to believe that one or the other was dead while they were being held captive down in Miami, but only Peter was able to retain those memories after they were given the antidote. No one knew exactly why his mind refused to let go of those horrible images, other than the fact that he was a child and had been given an earlier version of the drug before, back in Afghanistan.</p><p>But whatever the reason was, it still absolutely sucked.</p><p>"Hey," Papa whispered, his worry wrinkle deepening. "What's on your mind?"</p><p>"Mmm," grumbled Peter. He should've known that he couldn't hide anything from Papa. And everyone always said that he was the perceptive one.</p><p>"You can tell me, little guy," Papa as he held out his arms. "You know you can."</p><p>"Yeah, I know." Pushing himself up, Peter practically fell into his papa's open arms, squeezing his eyes closed as Papa's strong, steady heartbeat filled his ears. "I'm just… I don't know, I think I'm just—"</p><p>"Shh, Peter, it's okay," Papa whispered as he patted Peter's back. "I'm scared too. But what we have to try and remember is that we're stronger than our fear, okay? And as long as we all stick together, there's no way that our fear can win."</p><p>Peter nodded against Papa's chest, swallowing against the knot in his throat. "I know. I think sometimes I just need to hear it."</p><p>"Well, I'll say it as often as you need me to, okay?" Papa said. He kissed Peter's forehead again, tucking his blankets up to his shoulders. "And I might have something else that'll help you sleep too. I'll be right back."</p><p>"Huh?" Peter said as Papa hurriedly left his room, returning a few moments later with one of Dad's old and ratty MIT hoodies.</p><p>"Here," he said as he handed the squishy, buttery soft hoodie to Peter. "If nothing else, it'll help keep you warm tonight."</p><p>"Ohh," Peter whispered as he slid his arms into the hoodie and pulled it over his head, hugging his arms across his front once he was set. How could he have forgotten that he used to swipe these all the time when he was little, and especially whenever Dad was out of town?</p><p>"Thank you, Papa," Peter murmured. "This is perfect." While the hoodie was still a very poor substitute for one of his father's hugs, it would do well enough until he could come back.</p><p>"That's what I was hoping," Papa said as he ruffled Peter's hair. "Sleep now, little guy. I love you."</p><p>"Uh huh. Love you too."</p>
<hr/><p>"Uh, are you sure about this, Cap?" Sam asked as he piloted the Quinjet over the skies of Africa. They were aiming for the coordinates transmitted to them by King T'Challa's security people, but from what Tony could see, there was absolutely nothing below them that resembled anything that looked like a country, much less a highly technologically advanced country.</p><p>"I don't see anything but trees, personally," said Clint from the copilot's seat. "These Wakandan dudes aren't Ents, are they?"</p><p>"No, Clint, they're just as human as we are," Steve answered, with only a touch of impatience. "And since we've already verified the coordinates twice, I think asking a third time might be pushing it a little. Wouldn't you agree?"</p><p>"Well, not if it means that we don't pancake ourselves down in those trees, but, okay," Sam said warily. "You're the boss."</p><p><em>You're damn right he is, </em>Tony thought as he pressed his palm over the nanite container attached to his chest. Steve hadn't been too happy when he saw him wearing it, thinking that it might possibly be viewed as a display of aggression by the Wakandans, but Tony had flat-out told him that that was just too damn bad. There was no way Tony was going to venture out into an unknown country and meet with people he'd never met without having his armour close at hand. Especially since they had Peter with them.</p><p>Besides. Steve had still brought his shield along, like he always did whenever they travelled, just like the rest of the team had brought all of their equipment. Even Peter was wearing one of his Spider-Man suits under his clothes, mainly for the built-in heater, but still. Tony was just lucky that he had the luxury of carrying his suit in a sweet, classy-looking case.</p><p>And little did Steve know that Tony had also packed Steve's nanite suit, which was now tucked securely in his pants pocket.</p><p>
  <em>Can't ever be too careful, right?</em>
</p><p>"Okay, but I'm still not seeing anything down there," Sam insisted. "Are we sure—?"</p><p>"Just follow the coordinates, Sam, please," Steve said in his Captain's voice. "We'll be okay."</p><p>"Yeah, okay," Sam said as he angled the jet slightly downward, ordering Clint to reset the flaps. "But if we end up crashing, I'm gonna insist that this doesn't count against my piloting record."</p><p>"Duly noted, Sam," said Steve. "Let's everyone else buckle up, all right?"</p><p>A chorus of affirmative mumbles floated up from Natasha, Bucky, and the twins as they all snapped their seatbelts into place. Peter craned his neck as they approached, trying to get a better look, while, despite Steve's assurances, Tony still found himself holding his breath as they approached the dense treetops, letting it out through his teeth as the jet suddenly passed through what appeared to be some kind of protective shield.</p><p>"Whoa!" Peter breathed as a vast body of water suddenly appeared below the jet, surrounded on three sides by mountains. "This place looks awesome!"</p><p>"I agree, little guy," Steve said, tossing him a brief smile. "Sam, we're supposed to touch down over there, by the main palace building."</p><p>"Yeah, I got it," Sam said as he expertly landed the jet, killing the engines once the wings were folded in. "All right. After you, Cap."</p><p>"Copy that," Steve said softly. Glancing back at Tony, he held out his hand, squeezing it gently once Tony was at his side. "I'd like the three of us to be the first off the jet."</p><p>"You got it, honey." Tony sucked in a deep breath as the ramp whirred open to reveal King T'Challa standing about five metres away from the jet. He was surrounded by six tall, bald women dressed in red armour and carrying spears, behind which stood a line of taller, broad-shouldered men bearing golden chest plates, their spears tipped with slightly broader points.</p><p>"Your Highness," Steve said as he reached for the king's hand, which T'Challa proudly took. "It is very nice to see you again."</p><p>"Likewise, Captain," replied T'Challa. He glanced over at Tony, who instantly straightened his shoulders. Tony had met a few different heads of state during his years as a weapons manufacturer, and while many of the palaces owned by those rulers had been far more extravagant than this one appeared to be, none of the others had had half of the amount of stateliness that Tony was sensing from this particular king.</p><p>This place, this hidden African country, along with its king, just might help tip the odds back into the Avengers' favour.</p><p>"King T'Challa," Steve said in his Captain's voice. "While you've met some of our team already, I'd like to introduce us all again, if I may."</p><p>The king nodded, clasping his hands in front of him as Steve gestured to Tony and Peter. "This is my husband and son, Tony Stark and Peter Stark-Rogers. You may better know Tony as—"</p><p>"Iron Man," T'Challa cut in as he offered Tony his hand. "Yes, I am familiar with you, Mr Stark."</p><p>"Oh, really?" Tony said, a bit warily. "And how's that?"</p><p>T'Challa gave him a rather sly grin. "We do get news from around the world here in Wakanda, Mr Stark," he said. "And your incident in the Middle East drew quite a bit of coverage."</p><p>Next to Tony, Peter audibly gulped, causing Steve to place his hand on his shoulder.</p><p>"That time was not pleasant for any of us, Your Highness, but especially not for Tony and Peter," Steve said firmly. "As I'm sure you can understand."</p><p>"I understand perfectly, Captain," said T'Challa. "As someone who has recently been through a rather difficult time myself, please allow me to sympathise with you and your son, Mr Stark. Dare I say that you were both able to emerge from that terrible experience stronger than you were before?"</p><p>"Ah, yeah," Tony said. "In a manner of speaking."</p><p>"Please allow me to introduce the rest of our team, if you don't mind," Steve quickly said. He introduced each of the rest of them in turn, explaining once he was done that Bruce was currently working with Thor and his people in New Asgard and had been unable to attend.</p><p>"I see," said T'Challa. "Well, you are all welcome here. It is my hope that you will enjoy our hospitality as we work together to solve this particularly difficult puzzle." He turned to the woman standing at his right hand. "My general, Okoye, will show you to your rooms. Please, take some rest from your journey. We will have plenty of time to begin discussions later."</p><p>"Mmm," Tony grumbled, earning another squeeze of his hand from Steve as General Okoye and another of the women warriors led them inside the palace. Showing the three of them to an ornate, nicely-sized two-bedroom suite, the general gave Tony and Steve a bow, informing them that their luggage would be delivered from the jet shortly, and that a banquet would be served in their team's honour in three hours' time.</p><p>"Oh, good," Peter said once the heavy wooden door had clicked shut. "I'm already starving!"</p><p>"Well, I'm sure we could get something brought here before that if you need it, Pete," Tony said as he meandered around the suite, running his palm along the polished wooden furniture and bright linen fabrics. "We wouldn't want you passing out in front of a king, would we?"</p><p>"Nah, I've got some snacks in my backpack, so I should be fine once it gets here," Peter said as he headed into the smaller of the two bedrooms. "Whoa! I've got an awesome view of the mountains in here!"</p><p>Steve smiled, curling his arm around Tony's waist. "That's great, little guy. You should probably send a few pictures to Gwen, don't you think?"</p><p>"Yep!" Peter called. "I'm already on it!"</p><p>As antsy as Tony was to get started, by the time General Okoye came to escort them to the banquet, he had managed to settle down a bit. Changing out of his travelling clothes and getting to relax some while Steve insisted on waiting on him did him more good than he cared to admit. Repairing Thor's busted-up ship out in New Asgard for over a week had been more exhausting than he'd tried to let on, but of course, Steve had been able to see right through him, as he always did.</p><p>Even his left arm, which had been aching practically non-stop ever since the attack up at the Compound, felt a bit better by the time they arrived at the banquet hall.</p><p>"Captain, Mr Stark, welcome," T'Challa said once they stepped inside the massive hall. The king was dressed in a set of very classy-looking navy blue robes embroidered with intricate golden threads, and standing next to a girl, perhaps a bit older than Peter, with elaborately braided hair. "Please allow me to introduce my younger sister, Shuri. She is in charge of all of our technological research and equipment here in Wakanda."</p><p>"You are?" Peter exclaimed, immediately clapping his hand over his mouth. "I mean, not that that's bad or anything. It's actually pretty awesome when you think about it, and—"</p><p>"Yes, it is," Shuri said, smiling as she held up her hand in a perfect imitation of the traditional Vulcan salute. "I assume you understand what this means, do you not, Peter Stark-Rogers?"</p><p>"Whoa!" Peter said for probably the zillionth time since they'd arrived. "You guys have Star Trek down here? That's so cool!"</p><p>"Oh, we not only have Star Trek, we have every single episode of all five of the television series, and all twelve of the movies, spanning all of the various casts," Shuri said, rather proudly. She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "And I have memorised every single one of them."</p><p>"Well, then you should fit right in, right, Pete?" Tony said. "Maybe the two of you and the twins can build a functioning food replicator while we're down here."</p><p>"Preferably without burning down the palace, correct, little sister?" T'Challa said firmly, earning an exaggerated scoff from Shuri.</p><p>"That was only one time, brother!" she said. "When are you ever going to let it go?" Then she turned to Peter, gesturing towards the far end of the banquet table. "Come with me and I'll tell you all about it."</p><p>Peter glanced up at Tony, who gave him a nod. "Go have fun with your new friend, Pete."</p><p>"Thanks, Dad!" Peter said with a grin. "I'll see you guys later!"</p><p>Watching them go, T'Challa turned his attention back to Tony and Steve. "Have no fear for your son's safety here, gentlemen," he said. "You have my solemn promise that no harm will come to any of you while you're within our borders."</p><p>"That's a pretty bold promise, Your Highness," Steve said as they took their seats near the head of the table. "But judging from how you were able to fend off the attack from space, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised."</p><p>T'Challa smiled slightly as a table server poured them all a large goblet of wine. "As I said earlier, Captain, there will be plenty of time to discuss such matters at a later time. Please, for now, let us just enjoy this lovely evening."</p><p>Steve's jaw twitched as he nodded, patting Tony's knee under the table. "Very well, Your Highness. And thank you again for your wonderful hospitality."</p><p>"Oh, Captain," said T'Challa, now smiling widely. "You have not seen anything yet."</p><p>While Tony wasn't usually one for hyperbole, it turned out that the king wasn't joking. Aside from the five-course meal, which was incredible, the team was also treated to a traditional African dance performance as well as a fireworks display that would've put New York City's best New Year's Eve show to shame. By the time they had said all of their goodnights and dragged a half-asleep Peter to bed, Tony could honestly feel a few tiny trickles of optimism attempting to break through the solid iron wall of fear that had been building up inside him ever since the first space attack back in October.</p><p>And, if the way Steve's eyes darkened as soon as they stepped inside their bedroom was any indication, Tony wasn't the only one.</p><p>"Are you too tired?" Steve asked as his hands slipped around Tony's waist, drawing him flush against him. Heat bloomed across Tony's chest at the underlying desperation in Steve's voice, and it was all he could do to quickly shake his head before Steve claimed his lips, kissing him like he hadn't kissed him in months.</p><p>"God, I've missed you so much, mo grá," Steve rasped as he kissed down Tony's jaw to his neck. "It's been so long, and I need you so badly. Le do thoil, an féidir liom tú a bheith agat?"</p><p>"Steve, baby, <em>yes," </em>Tony moaned as Steve hoisted him into his arms and carried him over to the massive bed, laying him gently down. He crawled up to hover over him, trailing his fingertips down Tony's cheek as Tony glided his palms up Steve's strong arms.</p><p>"I'm gonna take such good care of you tonight, sweetheart," Steve whispered as he went to work on Tony's shirt buttons. "Let me show you how much I love you."</p><p>"Ohh," Tony moaned as Steve attacked his neck again, his fingers tugging Steve's shirt loose from his pants to glide up his smooth skin. "No way in hell am I saying no to that."</p><p>And for the next two or so hours, Steve did exactly that, his lips and hands exploring Tony's body with such passionate attention that by the time he wrapped Tony's legs around his waist and slowly pushed inside him, they both nearly sobbed in relief. The past few weeks had been so stressful for them both, with the attack, Peter's injuries, and then being separated, that they had desperately needed this time to reconnect with each other, proving once again that they were much better together than they could ever be apart.</p><p>"Look at me, Tony," Steve said as he trailed his fingertips down Tony's arm, intertwining their fingers. "I love you, mo grá. I love you so much!"</p><p>"I know you do, baby," Tony said, gasping as Steve's free hand slipped between them to curl around his aching cock. "You're so good, so damn good to me."</p><p>"You deserve it all, sweetheart," Steve said as he captured Tony's lips in a hot, messy kiss. "Now, come for me!"</p><p>As if on cue, Tony came barely three strokes later, crying out his release into the warm African air as Steve buried his head in Tony's shoulder, his broad body shaking as his own climax washed over him. They laid there, with their sweaty, sated bodies intertwined, for a long time afterwards, exchanging soft kisses and caresses until Steve carefully lifted Tony into his arms and carried him into the bathroom, cleaning him as carefully as if he were made of glass.</p><p>"I love you so much, sweetheart," he whispered once they were back in the bed, with Tony's head pillowed on Steve's chest. "Sleep now, okay? I've got you."</p><p>Tony was asleep before he could answer.</p>
<hr/><p>As most of their vacations did, the week passed all too quickly, and soon Steve and the rest of the team were already packing to head back to New York. And while Tony would likely disagree with him, especially since King T'Challa had flat-out refused to give them any information on their defensive technology, Steve was still very grateful that they had made the trip. Not only had Peter been able to truly relax for the first time in months, thanks largely in part to his instant friendship with T'Challa's sister, but the entire team seemed to be rejuvenated. Clint and Natasha had even taken the opportunity to travel out to the mountains for a couple of days, leaving the twins behind for the first time since they had come to live with them. Bucky and Sam had embarked on an excursion as well, exploring the far western border of the country and camping out under the stars, something that Sam had enjoyed when he was young.</p><p>And, even despite his protests, Tony was also feeling better. It had been so long since he had been able to sleep more than a couple of hours at a time, and Steve had already noticed a big difference in his demeanour thanks to the decent rest he'd been able to get.</p><p>All of the lovemaking they had been doing might've had a bit to do with that as well. It had been a long time since Steve and Tony had been able to enjoy this much sex on consecutive nights, and Steve was soaking up as much of it as he possibly could.</p><p>"This is definitely quite the place you've got here," Tony said the evening before they were set to leave, as he, Steve, and T'Challa strolled around the palace grounds following their evening meal. "I guess I can understand why you guys would wanna keep it hidden away."</p><p>"Well, my father was of the mind that Wakandans should only take care of their own, that we should not get involved with the rather messy affairs of the rest of the world," T'Challa replied. "And to be honest with you, after what happened in Namibia, it would have been quite easy for me to continue along that same path. But after the attack on your home, and the discovery that the Soul Stone itself resides within our borders, I no longer believe that it is our destiny to hide from the rest of the world. We all must band together, as one single tribe, if we are to face what is coming."</p><p>"That's very brave of you, Your Highness," Steve said softly. "Especially after what happened to your father."</p><p>T'Challa smiled, shaking his head. "My father may have been an isolationist, but he also taught me a very important lesson, which is to not listen to what people say, but to watch what they do. And what I have seen from you and your team, Captain, has proven to me that you are trustworthy."</p><p>"But not trustworthy enough to share your tech with us?" Tony asked. "Even after everything we've told you?"</p><p>"Mr Stark," T'Challa said with a sigh. "As I have said, I do apologise. But if everything you have told me is true, then I am unsure as to how sharing our defensive technology will be helpful. We currently have no way of knowing when or if another attack will occur, and we simply cannot become responsible for the protection of the entire world. That is not something that would be asked of any other country, and Wakanda must be given the same consideration. Until the time is right, we will continue as we always have, sharing our resources and knowledge as the needs arrive, and not before."</p><p>"Mmm," Tony grumbled under his breath, prompting Steve to squeeze his hand. He knew where Tony was coming from, but he could also understand the rather difficult position that T'Challa was in. Sharing his country's resources with only the U.S., or even just with their team, would no doubt result in outcries from nearly every other modernised country, and that was not something Wakanda was willing to deal with.</p><p>And nor should they be. Steve had seen too many examples of countries trying to push their so-called "protections" onto others to wish for something like that now. Even given what they were potentially facing.</p><p>"So, what should we do when the next attack comes?" Tony asked.</p><p>"From what we have seen, you are not completely defenceless, correct?" asked T'Challa.</p><p>"Well, no, not completely," Tony said. "We have our defence drones, and I've been working on extending their range, but at the moment we can only cover the East Coast and that's about it. We also have these goofy shrinking particles that Pete, Bruce, and I reverse-engineered, but we haven't figured out an actual use for them yet. That and the nanite suits are pretty much all that we've got at the moment. Oh, and Thor's desire to get the Space Stone out of New Asgard."</p><p>"Have you thought at all about removing the Soul Stone from Wakanda, Your Highness?" Steve asked.</p><p>"No, we have not," answered T'Challa. "As the Soul Stone is vital to our ability to communicate with our ancestors, it is not something that I am willing to part with unless I am presented with no other choice."</p><p>"Well, I suppose that's understandable," said Tony.</p><p>"I am glad," T'Challa said, rather firmly. "I assure you, Mr Stark, we are taking this threat very seriously. We have no desire to see harm come to any of our friends. But, as king, my first duty is to my people, and I absolutely cannot risk their safety by revealing too much, too soon."</p><p>"We would never ask you to do anything that would put your people at risk, Your Highness," Steve said. "Just the fact that you've agreed to form this alliance with us is proof enough to me that your intentions are pure."</p><p>"I am grateful, Captain," T'Challa said, glancing around him as Peter, Shuri, and the twins came bursting out of a side palace entrance, their laughter echoing across the yard. "And in more ways than one. It is not often that my sister is able to enjoy being the teenager that she is, so spending this week with your younger team members has been good for her as well. She was very close to our father, and mourning him has not been easy for her."</p><p>"Tony and I know that Peter has enjoyed himself as well," Steve said. "And for that, we thank you."</p><p>They left for home the following day, taking off just after the sun went down in the hopes that the children would be able to sleep on the jet. Steve's heart was nearly filled to bursting as he, Tony, and Peter took over the largest couch in the back, Tony tucked up against one side and Peter against the other, both of them sound asleep. They were so alike that they even made some of the same faces as they slept, with Steve taking plenty of mental notes so he could sketch them out later. The little sketchbook that he always took on missions still had a few blank pages left, and Steve wanted to get them filled before Peter decided that he was too old to cuddle.</p><p>"I love you," he whispered, first into Tony's hair, then into Peter's, pressing kisses to both of their heads before tipping his own head back and closing his eyes.</p><p>While they hadn't accomplished everything that Tony had wanted to accomplish on the trip, especially when it came to getting his hands on some of the Wakandan technology, Steve was still relieved to know that the team had a powerful ally they could call on when and if they needed them.</p><p>And while the optimistic part of Steve tried to focus more on the "if", the more pragmatic part of him knew that it was more likely to be "when", and that he needed to plan as such.</p><p>Because when the "when" finally came, he and the rest of his team needed to be ready.</p><p>Whatever it took.</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Stop by and see me on tumblr, I’m <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geekymoviemom">geekymoviemom</a> and <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geeky-writes">geeky-writes</a> there 😊 </strong>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment!  💖</p><p>Emoji Key for those who don't know what to say in the comments!<br/>❤ = you wish you could kudos again<br/>😭 = I got you right in the feels<br/>🔥 = this was so hot/ sweet!<br/>🐰 = it’s so fluffy!<br/>😣 = the angst is killing me!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>Steve shivered as the icy Arctic wind seeped through the cracks in the </em>Valkyrie's <em>windshield, whipping against his skin and through his hair as he attempted to make heads or tails of the control panel in front of him. None of it was familiar, the controls nothing like those in the cockpit in the Quinjet or in the plane Howard had flown him in to Austria to search for Bucky. From what he could see through the window and discern from the settings of the various dials and knobs, his altitude was steady, with water visible through the soft, puffy clouds beneath the massive aircraft as far as he could see. But based on what he could decipher from the plane's current course headings, he wouldn't be over the water for too much longer. The aircraft was on a direct collision course with New York, no doubt heading directly for the Tower, but so far all of Steve's attempts to contact Tony or Sam to warn them had been futile. JARVIS was no longer responding, which Steve was choosing to assume was due to the radiation burst the Tesseract had generated right before it disappeared. Steve remembered Tony and Bruce saying that the Tesseract emanated a gamma radiation signature, which he knew in large amounts could be harmful based on what had happened to Bruce, so who's to say that it couldn't knock out a UI-controlled comm system as well?</em></p>
<p>
  <em>That assumption was at least far, far better than the alternative, which was that Tony and Peter were already—</em>
</p>
<p>"<em>No!" he said, giving his head a hard shake. "I can't—I'm not—"</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Steve couldn't go there. He just couldn't. He had to assume that his husband and son and the rest of the team were all fine until he had rock-solid proof that they weren't.</em>
</p>
<p><em>And they had to be fine. They just </em>had <em>to. The Avengers were the world's last, best hope against the Chitauri. If they fell, then the rest of the world would follow, and that was something that Steve could not allow to happen.</em></p>
<p>"<em>JARVIS, are you there? JARVIS, please come in," Steve tried again, shaking his head in frustration when the UI failed to respond. He sucked in a deep breath, trying to stamp down his welling panic as he scanned the strange controls again, searching for anything he might be able to use to send a message. A button finally caught his eye, one that looked so like the old communication devices he had used back during the war that he blinked, swiping the back of his hand across his eyes to make sure that he wasn't just seeing things.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Which apparently he wasn't, because when he looked again, the button was still there. Pursing his lips, Steve pushed it.</em>
</p>
<p>"<em>Uhh, this is Captain Steve Rogers," he said, grateful when his voice didn't tremble. "Come in, please. Does anyone read me?"</em></p>
<p>"<em>Captain Rogers!" came the frantic response of a man, so quickly that Steve nearly collapsed in relief. The man's voice sounded familiar, almost eerily so, but Steve had no time to waste on trying to figure out why. He had already spent way too long trying to figure out the plane's controls, and time was in too short of a supply to waste on nonessential details.</em></p>
<p>"<em>Captain Rogers, what is your location?" the man asked.</em></p>
<p>"<em>Um…" Steve said as he scanned his trajectory readout again, his heart lurching when he saw that he was only minutes away from New York. "Um… I'm on a straight shot for New York City, and I can't—I can't seem to figure out how to change it. This plane is heavily armoured, which means if it gets to New York, a lot of people are gonna die. Including my—my—"</em></p>
<p>"<em>It's okay, Steve," another voice suddenly said over the radio. This time it was a woman, and one that Steve could instantly place.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Peggy Carter.</em>
</p>
<p>"<em>Um… Peggy? Is that—is that… you? " Steve asked, his head swirling in confusion. He and Tony had last visited Peggy about two years ago, shortly before she passed away in her sleep in the D.C. nursing home where she had lived for the last decade or so. They had even made the trip out to London shortly afterwards to attend her funeral, leaving Peter behind only because they hadn't wanted him to miss more school.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>So how in the world could she be talking to him right now?</em>
</p>
<p>"<em>Of course it's me, Captain," Peggy responded in the sharp tone she'd always reserved for the insubordinate Science Division recruits. "Now, give us your coordinates and we'll find you a safe landing site."</em></p>
<p>"<em>But… you're supposed to be—" Steve broke off, gulping down the rest of his words. As confused as he was, there literally was no time to waste on trying to figure out what the hell was going on. He had to do something now, or Tony and Peter, along with millions of others, would die.</em></p>
<p>"<em>Nevermind that now," he said instead. "This aircraft is heading straight for New York, and the course controls seem to be frozen. I need to figure out a way to—"</em></p>
<p>"<em>Steve, it's okay," Peggy cut in. "I promise, they'll be okay."</em></p>
<p>"<em>What?" Steve said. He let out a violent shiver as the wind whistling through the windshield cracks suddenly picked up speed. "What're you talking about? Who will be okay?"</em></p>
<p>"<em>Your husband, and your son," she said, causing Steve's belly to sink to his knees. "Steve, they'll be okay, but only if you do what you know you have to do."</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Steve's throat tightened, and he swallowed hard, fighting against the tears threatening to appear.</em>
</p>
<p>"<em>And what's that?" he asked, even as he feared that he already knew the answer.</em></p>
<p>"<em>I think you already know, Steve," Peggy said softly. "Don't you?"</em></p>
<p>"<em>Yes," Steve said on a gasp, gripping the steering controls even tighter. "I've got to put her in the water."</em></p>
<p>"<em>Yes, that's it," said Peggy. "But don't worry. You won't be alone. I'll be right here until it's over."</em></p>
<p>
  <em>A strangled cry forced its way from Steve's throat. "And—and will you—will you make sure that they're—that they understand? 'Cause I'm not—I'm not sure that they will, and—"</em>
</p>
<p>"<em>They will, I promise," Peggy whispered. "Maybe not right away, but eventually they'll come around. Tony is not Howard, Steve, remember that. He will never neglect his child because he lost you."</em></p>
<p>"<em>Oh God," Steve choked out, his lower lip shaking. "No, I know he's not, and I know he won't. Tony is such an amazing father, and the most wonderful partner I ever could've asked for. I'm—I'm going to miss him." He hastily swiped at an errant tear before it could freeze on his cheek. "And Peter, he's—there's no way I could ever be prouder of him than I am. Someday, he's going to change the world."</em></p>
<p>"<em>Yes, Peter is a doll, is he not?" Peggy said, and Steve could hear the wide smile in her voice. "And he knows how much you love him, Steve, he and Tony both. That will help them get through what's to come."</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Steve nodded, sniffing. "You—you promise?"</em>
</p>
<p>"<em>Yes," Peggy murmured. "I promise."</em></p>
<p>"<em>You promise," he whispered. "All right then." Curling his fingers around the yoke, Steve began to steer the massive plane down towards the white puffy clouds, his lower lip caught tightly between his teeth to help keep his sobs in check. Despite his brave words, Steve was scared out of his wits. He had already done this very same thing once before, and knowing what was likely going to happen to him was far, far worse than believing he was going to die the first time around.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Who knew how long he would be frozen this time? Knowing Tony, it probably wouldn't be over sixty-five years, but would he even still be alive once Steve was found? Would Peter?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Were they still alive even now? Or had the Chitauri already begun their attack?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The wind was even stronger once he emerged from the clouds, with drops of salty condensation pelting him in the face as he continued his downward trajectory, his heart firmly lodged in his throat.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He had only a few seconds left.</em>
</p>
<p>"<em>Peggy!" he cried as a beam of sunlight suddenly reflected off the smooth-as-a-mirror water, shining directly into his eyes. "Peggy, please! Tell them that I love them! Tell them that I had no other choice, that it was either this or—!"</em></p>
<p>Steve woke with a start, shivering and panting as he shot bolt upright on the bed. He gasped as he hugged his knees to his chest, glancing frantically around the room as he tried to get his bearings, his lungs screaming for air and his skin burning from the freezing cold Arctic water that he had just crashed a plane into for the second time.</p>
<p>Only, he hadn't. Because, despite what he had thought, he actually wasn't in a plane about to crash into the frigid Arctic water, he was in his bedroom in Avengers Tower. The bedroom he shared with Tony, his husband, which also meant that Peter was sleeping in his own bedroom just down the hall.</p>
<p>"Oh my God," he whispered as he squeezed his eyes closed, drawing in a deep breath through his nose.</p>
<p>He was okay. Tony and Peter were okay. It had all been a dream.</p>
<p>Just another terrible, awful, no-good nightmare.</p>
<p>"Captain Rogers?" JARVIS suddenly asked, his subdued voice still nearly launching Steve off the bed. "Are you in need of assistance?"</p>
<p>"What?" Steve asked as he glanced up at the ceiling, swiping droplets of cold sweat from his forehead. "JARVIS?"</p>
<p>"Yes, Captain," answered JARVIS. "How may I be of service?"</p>
<p>Steve shook his head, sucking more air into his hungry lungs as he released the iron grip on his knees and glanced down to where Tony was lying next to him, curled onto his right side like he usually was. For a moment, Steve could only stare at him, certain that his eyes were trying to trick him as he raised his hand and placed it carefully on Tony's shoulder, a choked sob of relief tearing from his throat as he realised that no, Tony wasn't just a figment of his imagination. He was actually real.</p>
<p>"JARVIS, is Peter all right?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Yes, Captain," answered JARVIS. "Master Peter is currently sleeping peacefully, with all vital signs within his normal parameters."</p>
<p>"Oh," Steve said as his shoulders sagged in relief. "Oh, that's—that's good. Thank you."</p>
<p>"You are quite welcome, Captain," said JARVIS. "Is there anything else I might do to help?"</p>
<p>"No, I'm—" he started, tightening his grip on Tony's shoulder as he drew in another deep breath. Peter was okay. Tony was okay, and now he was okay. It had only been a bad dream.</p>
<p>Nothing more than a nightmare.</p>
<p>"I think—I think I'm—I'm all right, now, JARVIS," he said. "Thank you."</p>
<p>"Very well, Captain," JARVIS said warily, prompting Steve to frown at the ceiling.</p>
<p>"But if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you could cancel my alarm for the morning," he added. It had been over three weeks since he'd taken a morning off from running, and despite his blatant attempts to ignore it, his left foot was definitely starting to notice.</p>
<p>"Of course, Captain," replied JARVIS. "Shall I also inform Mr Wilson that you will not be accompanying him for your usual run?"</p>
<p>"Yes, please. Thank you," said Steve. "Please tell him that I'll talk to him later in the day."</p>
<p>"Very good, Captain."</p>
<p>Raking his fingers through his sweat-dampened hair, Steve carefully laid back down next to Tony, draping his arm across his husband's waist and tucking himself up behind him. Then he buried his nose into the nape of Tony's neck, struggling to keep his roiling emotions in check. While it wasn't unheard of for Steve to occasionally revisit his flight on the <em>Valkyrie </em>in his nightmares, this time it had been different.</p>
<p>This time it had almost seemed as though his two separate timelines, pre-ice and post-ice, had somehow become merged together into one semi-coherent series of events, something that Steve was absolutely certain he had no desire to ever experience. He had flown the <em>Valkyrie </em>into the Arctic water to keep it from unleashing its Tesseract-powered bombs onto New York City, and that's exactly what he had been doing in the dream as well. Only in his dream it had been in the here and now, not 1944, which meant that—</p>
<p>"Oh, <em>God!"</em> Steve gasped as he drew Tony even closer, causing him to flinch. "Please, no!"</p>
<p>
  <em>Please, don't let us be caught off guard like that!</em>
</p>
<p>"S'eve? What's—okay?" Tony mumbled as he shifted under Steve's arm, turning to face him. Guilt flashed through Steve's body like a flare as Tony's eyes struggled to blink open, finally giving up as his palm thudded on Steve's shoulder. "What's—what's—?"</p>
<p>"Shh, sweetheart, it's okay," Steve whispered as he kissed Tony's forehead, brushing his thumb along his cheekbone. "Go back to sleep."</p>
<p>"Mmm," muttered Tony as his right eye cracked open just wide enough to glare in Steve's direction. "You first."</p>
<p>The corners of Steve's lips curled into the slightest of smiles. "Together," he said. "Okay?"</p>
<p>Tony huffed, ducking his head down under Steve's chin as he slid his leg over Steve's hip. "You're lucky you're cute."</p>
<p>"No, I'm lucky you love me," Steve answered. He wove his fingers through Tony's soft hair, his jaw tightening as he tried to keep his tears contained. He had no business waking Tony, not after how hard he had fought to get him to sleep in the first place. After an almost three-day stint where he had barely come out of his lab, not even swapping out Tony's coffee for decaf had been enough to get him to stop, finally forcing Steve to have to resort to begging him to take a break. Steve absolutely <em>hated </em>when he had to do that, as it felt very manipulative to him and always ended with him having to yell at Tony. But he needed Tony to stay as healthy as possible, both for his own sake and for Steve and Peter's.</p>
<p>If what they were potentially facing was as bad as Thor feared, then the entire team needed to be at its absolute best at all times. And that meant making sure that Tony slept more than a few hours every three days.</p>
<p>Thankfully, it didn't take long for Tony's body to relax and his breathing to even out. Letting out a slow sigh of relief, Steve pressed another kiss to the top of Tony's head and closed his eyes, willing himself to think of something—anything—else besides his fateful flight into the ice.</p>
<p>A mission that proved to be futile, as minute after minute slowly ticked by. Steve watched through their bedroom windows as the stars moved across the sky, telling himself that he wasn't scanning for possible incoming attacks, but knowing he was only lying to himself. And then, as the first tiny slivers of light began to peek through the surrounding skyscrapers, he shifted again, carefully tucking the blankets up over Tony's shoulder before sliding out of the bed and padding towards the bathroom. He still wasn't planning to go running, as his foot did need the break, but there was no sense in just lying in bed when he wasn't asleep. Time was short, and there were plenty of other things he could be working on instead.</p>
<p>Like trying to figure out how to defend the planet against another alien invasion.</p>
<p>The team had come home from their trip to Wakanda both rejuvenated and with a sense of optimism that they had sorely needed. For Steve, though, both of those had only lasted a few days before dread began to seep back in, weighing on him like a leaden cape draped across his shoulders. Every spare moment he could find he spent strategising, sometimes with Sam and Bucky's help but most of the time alone, while Tony shut himself up in his lab, refusing to take off his nanite armour case for any reason and constantly building things in his own attempt to beat back his demons of fear. More equipment for the team, including an upgraded version of Sam's Falcon pack, new Widow's Bites for Nat, and a new bow and hundreds of new arrows for Clint. Then there were the new armoured suits, two of which went to James down in D.C. as upgrades for his War Machine armour, but most used to repopulate the Iron Legion that had been retired ever since Tony had perfected his defence drone design. The Iron Legion suits now numbered close to thirty, at Steve's last count, and had been placed at strategic positions throughout the Tower and Compound's properties, programmed to launch at the first sign of anything out of the ordinary. Tony had even asked Principal Morita if he could station three of the suits at Peter's school, but was turned down when Morita reminded Tony that he would first have to receive approval from the city's school board. Since neither Steve nor Tony wanted to involve any branch of government in any of their plans, no matter how local or small, they had instead settled on positioning two of the suits inside the Tower's roof facing the school, ready to launch if given a signal by either Steve, Tony, or Peter.</p>
<p>And while Steve was grateful for the extra protection that the suits provided, especially for Peter, he did not like how stressed out Tony had become because of it, and his complete failure to help alleviate even a tiny amount of Tony's stress even less so. Steve always had far, far preferred to be on the offensive instead of defensive and had always despised waiting, so this whole waiting-around-for-something-to-happen and trying-to-prepare-for-anything mentality he was in was not only harder than hell, it was also just plain annoying.</p>
<p>But with no idea when or even if another attack might occur, at the moment, that was all Steve could do.</p>
<p>After taking a shower that was so burning hot he could barely stand it, Steve shuffled his way into the kitchen, quickly whipping up a half a dozen scrambled eggs and a large stack of homemade pancakes. His notes from the night before were still scattered across the kitchen table as he sat down, pouring syrup over his steaming hot pancakes as he shuffled through the various pages that, according to Bucky, closely resembled football play diagrams.</p>
<p>Whether or not they would turn out to be effective plays, Steve had no idea. Hence the majority of his frustration.</p>
<p>If only he knew better what to expect. During the war, Steve had known exactly who his enemy was and where they were hiding, and so only had to come up with good ways to beat them.</p>
<p>Which he had. It had been Steve's plans that had led to the successful raids against the HYDRA facilities scattered across Western Europe, and it had been his idea and his strategy that had allowed him to be captured by Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull himself, and ultimately defeat him.</p>
<p>Now, though, it was as if Steve was flying blind in the dark. Even when the Chitauri had first attacked New York, the team had still had some advance warning thanks to Loki divulging his plan to Thor. They had known that the sceptre had been involved in Loki's theft of the Tesseract, and were able to successfully beat him and the Chitauri back thanks to Tony's flight through the portal.</p>
<p>But here, Steve could only guess what the team would potentially be up against. There was little doubt in his mind that when the Chitauri did return, they would do so in far greater numbers, and with the power of potentially multiple infinity gems spurring them on, Steve had no way of knowing just how powerful they might be.</p>
<p>There were just far too many unknowns. Steve had never liked having to strategise without all of the variables, as it just left behind too many ways that things could go wrong. Battles by their very existence were already barely-controlled chaos, so any sense of control that Steve could add through his strategising would only help keep the chaos to a minimum.</p>
<p>And it was up to him to do so, as arrogant as it may have sounded. After both SHIELD and the government allowed HYDRA to grow undetected to the point where they nearly attained unmatchable power, there was no one who Steve could trust to help outside of his team.</p>
<p>In fact, something that he had only chosen to share with a couple select people, namely Tony and Sam, Steve still was firmly convinced that if he hadn't crashed the <em>Valkyrie </em>into the water, there would've been no way that HYDRA would've been able to take cover under SHIELD's umbrella, biding its time until it could reemerge and wreak havoc on the world. Steve would've discovered them, if not right away then eventually. And he would have stopped them.</p>
<p>And how things might have been different if he had done so! Would the Chitauri have even bothered with Earth if Howard hadn't accidentally found the Tesseract after the war, paving the way for HYDRA to resume their secret work with it? Nick Fury had stated that it had been Thor's appearance in New Mexico that had led to the Chitauri's initial interest in conquering the planet, but that hadn't been the whole truth. Loki was already familiar with Earth as one of the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil, but it had been the presence of the Tesseract that had lured Loki there, which meant that it had likely been the infinity gem hidden inside the glowing blue cube that the Chitauri leaders were after when they had promised to elevate Loki to Earth's ruler. Loki had just been a pawn in their game.</p>
<p>Even so, as much as Steve liked to contemplate the possible 'what ifs?', all of that would have required him to have been in two places at once, since there was no way in hell he would trade his current life for a theoretical one where he hadn't spent decades encased in ice. Even thinking about it was a moot point, and therefore simply a waste of time. He was constantly telling both Tony and Peter that it did absolutely no good to dwell on things that couldn't be changed, and, despite what his nightmare may have indicated, it was impossible to be in both the past and the present at the same time. Steve had heard Bruce, Tony, and Peter all corroborate that at some point or another, and if three of the smartest people on the entire planet all agreed on something, then Steve was well-inclined to believe them.</p>
<p>
  <em>It was only a bad dream. Nothing more.</em>
</p>
<p>Picking up his pencil, Steve quickly became so engrossed in his work that he didn't even notice Peter entering the kitchen until he said, "Good morning," startling Steve so badly that he almost knocked over his chair.</p>
<p>"Oh no, Papa, I'm so sorry!" Peter said as he rushed forward, gathering up a few of Steve's papers that had fluttered to the floor. "I didn't mean to scare you!"</p>
<p>"No, no, little guy, it's okay," Steve said. He pressed his palm to his chest, over his thudding heart. "I think I just lost track of time is all."</p>
<p>Peter frowned, only adding to his adorably disheveled look. He had needed a haircut since before they had left for Wakanda, and now, almost three weeks later, his curls were pretty much out of control.</p>
<p>"Are you sure that's all it was?" he asked, quirking his eyebrow in such a perfect imitation of Tony that Steve's heart lurched. "'Cause I'm pretty sure you almost dented the ceiling with how high you just jumped."</p>
<p>"Yes, I'm sure," Steve said as he got to his feet. "Are you hungry for some breakfast?"</p>
<p>"You're kidding, right?" Peter asked, making a beeline for the refrigerator, and the huge bottle of orange juice that they replaced every two days or so. Twisting off the cap, Peter was just raising it up to his mouth when he caught Steve's eye. "Um… yeah. I'll, uh, get a glass."</p>
<p>Steve chuckled as he clapped his hand on his son's shoulder. "That's better," he said. "And when you're done, you can help me make you some scrambled eggs and pancakes, hmm?"</p>
<p>"Uh huh," said Peter. "Sounds good."</p>
<p>Since it had already been over an hour since he'd eaten, Steve prepared enough for the two of them, deliberately setting aside his work so he could focus exclusively on his son while they ate. He listened intently as Peter talked about everything from the latest Lego set he was coveting to the experiment he and Gwen were running in their chemistry lab, something having to do with designing a new type of Plexiglass. It seemed so normal, as the two of them had talked over breakfast hundreds of times before, especially given Tony's lack of appreciation for mornings. But this time, for some reason, it seemed to hit Steve a bit differently.</p>
<p>Despite all of Steve and Tony's attempts to ignore the inevitable, Peter was growing up, and it wouldn't be too much longer before he went away to college and mornings like these would only be a memory. And Steve was determined to enjoy every single possible second he got with Peter before that happened.</p>
<p>"Well, I think it's just gonna be you and me for the school run this morning, little guy," he said as they stacked their dishes in the dishwasher. "As long as that's okay with you."</p>
<p>"Yeah, that's fine," Peter said quickly. "I'm glad Dad's still sleeping. He needs it."</p>
<p>"Yes, he definitely does," agreed Steve. He glanced up at the wall clock. "Think you can be ready in about ten minutes? I thought we might take the bike this morning since it's so nice out."</p>
<p>"Really?" Peter exclaimed, his eyebrows shooting up so high that they disappeared under his hair. "Oh, that'd be awesome, Papa! I'll go pack up my stuff!"</p>
<p>Steve smiled as he watched him race out of the kitchen, rolling his shoulders to try and loosen his stress-tight muscles. It had been a long time since he'd driven Peter to school on his motorcycle. With Peter's body temp instability combined with the rather finicky spring that New York had had so far, it just hadn't been warm enough to do so until now.</p>
<p>"All right," he said as Peter joined him in the living room, ready to go. "You've got everything, right? Glasses? Earplugs? Snacks?"</p>
<p>"Uh huh," answered Peter, patting his backpack. "I'm ready."</p>
<p>Outside, it was beautiful, the perfect day for a nice, leisurely morning ride on the bike. But as the slightly brisk late-April breeze whipped past Steve's face and whistled in his ears as he drove, Steve was once again reminded of the dream that had driven him out of bed, forcing him to have to focus far more closely on his driving than he normally did.</p>
<p>"Papa, are you okay?" Peter asked as they pulled into the school's parking lot. He slid off the back of the bike and handed Steve his helmet, his big brown eyes filled to the brim with concern.</p>
<p>"Of course I am, little guy," Steve replied, almost cringing with how fake he sounded. "Why wouldn't I be?"</p>
<p>"Well, maybe 'cause your fingers are still white from gripping the handlebars?" Peter said as he jerked his head towards Steve's hands. "And your back and shoulders were all stiff too, like you were afraid something was gonna happen on the way here or something."</p>
<p>Steve shook his head, unable to admit just how right Peter was. In fact, despite his dislike that Tony had taken to wearing his nanite armour case around the clock now, even to bed, Steve had unconsciously grabbed his own case while collecting his wallet and keys, placing it underneath his leather jacket in the hopes that Peter wouldn't notice.</p>
<p>"There's nothing wrong, little guy," Steve finally said. "I'm sorry if I made you worry."</p>
<p>"Yeah, right," Peter said with a frown. "You don't really expect me to believe that, do you?"</p>
<p>His shoulders sagging, Steve opened his arms, his heart fluttering when Peter stepped right into them. For all of his proclamations that he wasn't a little kid anymore, both Steve and Tony were still relieved that he never shied away from a hug. Even out in public, where his friends could see.</p>
<p>"No, I don't, little guy," Steve murmured into his son's wild hair. "But you don't need to worry about me, okay? You just try and have a good day today."</p>
<p>"Fine," Peter said into Steve's chest. "Are you gonna try and go back to sleep when you get home, though? 'Cause, no offence, but you seem like you could use it."</p>
<p>"We'll see, okay?" Steve kissed the top of Peter's head, squeezing him one final time. "I love you, Peter. I'll see you this afternoon."</p>
<p>"Uh huh," answered Peter. "Love you."</p>
<p>Steve leaned against the bike as he watched Peter enter the school, dropping his head once the doors had closed behind him. As much as he might have liked trying to go back to bed once he got home, there was no way that he could. He and Sam had a meeting at ten, one that Steve had already rescheduled three times, and he wanted to get some more work done before that.</p>
<p>Not to mention he needed to make sure that Tony actually ate something of substance once he woke up, instead of trying to subsist only on coffee for the next three days. Again.</p>
<p>Arriving back at the penthouse, Steve checked in on Tony—who was thankfully still asleep—before returning to his papers in the kitchen, managing to get the outline of another semi-decent plan worked out before Tony finally wandered in, bleary-eyed and yawning, just like Peter had been a couple hours before.</p>
<p>"What the hell did you do to me last night?" he asked as he shuffled over to Steve and slid right onto his lap. "I think I must've passed out."</p>
<p>"Well, I'm not going to apologise for it," Steve said as he wound his arms around Tony's waist, hugging him close. "You needed it."</p>
<p>
  <em>That's what happens when you don't sleep for over seventy-two hours.</em>
</p>
<p>"Mmm," grumbled Tony as he stifled another yawn. "Well, as long as you didn't fight the war while I was out, I s'pose it's okay."</p>
<p>"Nope, no worries about that," Steve said with a sigh. <em>If only.</em> "Peter says good morning, by the way. And that he's glad you were able to get some rest.</p>
<p>"Ah, the kid worries too much about me," Tony said, rolling his eyes. "And that's your influence, by the way."</p>
<p>"Well, that's only because we both love you," said Steve. He cupped Tony's jaw, angling it down so he could kiss him. "I'm gonna make you some breakfast now, okay?"</p>
<p>Tony scoffed, but nodded anyway. "Yes, Captain," he said with a smirk. "Probably the only way you'll let me leave the kitchen, yeah?"</p>
<p>"Yep, you're absolutely right," Steve said as he pecked Tony on the nose. "Besides. I think we need to discuss a certain anniversary that's coming up in a few days. Don't you?"</p>
<p>The <em>oh, shit!</em> look that Tony shot him was so genuine and funny that Steve immediately burst out laughing.</p>
<p>"Uhh," Tony stammered. "What—what kinda anniversary are we talking about here?"</p>
<p>"Well…" Steve said as he picked up Tony's left hand, twirling the titanium ring that encircled his third finger. "It might have something to do with this."</p>
<p>"Oh, <em>that </em>anniversary. Yeah, I guess it's kinda important, isn't it?" Tony said, his attempt at humour thwarted by the trembling in his lower lip as he reached for Steve's left hand, and the ring that sat on his third finger. Unlike Tony's, which hadn't left his finger since Steve placed it there almost three—<em>three!</em>—years ago, Steve's ring was a duplicate, one that Tony made for him after HYDRA stole his original wedding ring when they took him prisoner. Steve had been so drugged and otherwise out of it at the time that he hadn't even realised it was gone until Tony and the rest of the team showed up to rescue him.</p>
<p>What Steve did remember, though, was that the HYDRA agents posing as FBI who had arrested him on the charge of falsifying his Army enlistment forms had done so right after he and Tony had enjoyed a late anniversary dinner together, and it had been that incident that had propelled Tony into developing his nanite armour. Never again, Tony had told him later on, would he ever get caught so completely defenceless.</p>
<p>"Steve," Tony said, low and thick. "Honey, I—I don't know—I don't know if—"</p>
<p>"Hey," Steve whispered. He slid his fingers under Tony's chin, tilting his head up to look at him. "We don't have to go out to dinner or anything, we could just have one of our old dessert dates out on the landing pad or something. Just a small celebration is all I'm asking."</p>
<p>Tony's beautiful brown eyes were glassy as they swept across Steve's face. "You think you could make that french silk pie that you made that one time? With the whipped cream, and the little chocolate swirls on top?"</p>
<p>"Absolutely," Steve murmured. "And I'll even carry you to bed afterwards, if that's what you want."</p>
<p>The corners of Tony's lips curled into a smile. "Mmm, long as you don't expect me to just go to sleep."</p>
<p>"No, I definitely do not," said Steve. "In fact, I was kind of hoping that we could recreate our wedding night, if that's okay with you."</p>
<p>"Ohh," Tony said, smiling widely now. "You are on, <em>Captain."</em></p>
<p>"Good," Steve said as he tugged Tony's face down for a kiss, one that sent warmth spreading across Steve's chest and down his arms and legs by the time they broke apart. "But now, you need food."</p>
<p>"Fine, fine, mother hen," Tony said, winking. "Go ahead and feed me."</p>
<p>Since Tony wasn't as fond of pancakes as Steve and Peter were, Steve instead made him an omelet, complete with sharp cheddar cheese, green peppers, and tomatoes. Tony had told Steve when they first started dating that the Stark's old butler, Mr Jarvis, had often been responsible for preparing Tony's meals when he was a child, and that omelet had been one of Tony's absolute favourites.</p>
<p>"So, you feel like telling me what got you so freaked out earlier this morning?" Tony asked as he popped a stray slice of pepper into his mouth. Steve's fork, which had been halfway to his mouth, froze in midair, which Tony immediately noticed.</p>
<p>"Tony, I don't want to—" he started, lowering his fork when Tony quirked an eyebrow. "It was just a bad dream, mo grá. Nothing more than that."</p>
<p>"Yeah, I kinda figured that," Tony said softly. "But you still don't wanna talk about it?"</p>
<p>"No, I really don't," said Steve. "It was only a dream."</p>
<p>"Well, okay, you know I'm not gonna make you tell me," Tony said as he covered Steve's hand with his own. "But you are gonna talk to Sam about it, right?"</p>
<p>Steve gulped, shaking his head. "Tony, it's not important—"</p>
<p>"Nope, you know that's not gonna work on me, honey," Tony interrupted, gently but firmly. "You can't be mother hen-ing everyone else and then forget to take care of your own stuff, right?"</p>
<p>"No, I guess not," Steve muttered.</p>
<p>"Good," said Tony. "JARVIS, what time is Steve's appointment with Sam?"</p>
<p>"Mr Wilson expects Captain Rogers in the lobby of Avengers Tower at 10am, sir," answered JARVIS. "Which is in exactly ten minutes and twenty-three seconds."</p>
<p>"Well," Tony said as he reached for his coffee cup. "There ya go."</p>
<p>"I was going to bring it up," Steve said slowly. <em>Just maybe not this morning…</em></p>
<p>"Good," Tony stated. "'Cause you know that the team's only as good as its Captain, right?"</p>
<p>Steve dropped his gaze to his plate, poking at his eggs with his fork. "Yes, I do."</p>
<p>And he did, if for no other reason than both Tony and Sam frequently reminded him of it.</p>
<p>"Please, honey," Tony pleaded. "The 1940s may have been good for some things, but not for stuff like this. In fact, they really freaking sucked for stuff like this."</p>
<p>Steve huffed, pushing his plate away. He knew Tony was right to be worried. After the Miami battle, and almost losing both Tony and Peter in one fell swoop, he had spiralled down into what Sam had later identified as post-traumatic stress. It eventually got so bad that at one point, after he'd nearly burned all of his skin off in the shower, Tony had been forced to call Sam up to talk him down in the middle of the night.</p>
<p>And while he was better now, according to Sam, Steve knew he would never be able to be truly rid of everything he had experienced, which was why it was so important for him to keep working at it.</p>
<p>Even though he despised having to do so.</p>
<p>"I know," Steve finally said. "I'll talk to him."</p>
<p>"That's all I'm asking, honey," Tony whispered. "Thank you."</p>
<p>After making sure that Tony finished his food before he escaped into his lab, Steve kissed him goodbye and headed down to the lobby, where he found Sam talking with the owner of the newsstand.</p>
<p>"Hey, Cap!" Sam said as he walked up. "Glad you could finally make it."</p>
<p>"Yeah, yeah," Steve said. "So, where'd you have in mind this morning."</p>
<p>Sam shrugged. "Coffee shop okay with you?"</p>
<p>"Sure," answered Steve. "Lead the way."</p>
<p>After exchanging pleasantries with the newsstand owner, Steve and Sam headed out onto the street, bustling with its usual New York City foot traffic. Several people recognised Steve as they passed, which likely meant that his photograph would wind up being printed in at least one of the magazines that he always saw displayed in the grocery store checkout lanes. Again.</p>
<p>And while that didn't bother him, or at least not too much, it was just another reminder that people saw him as some sort of a hero, and saw the Avengers as the Earth's protectors. All of which meant that Steve couldn't afford to let them down.</p>
<p>Despite the busyness of the street, the coffee shop was fairly empty when they arrived. After placing their orders, Steve and Sam settled into a table in the back corner, where Sam shot Steve a wary look as he eyed Steve's large peppermint tea.</p>
<p>"What, nothing to eat?" Sam asked. "Don't tell me the super soldier's actually not hungry?"</p>
<p>Steve tilted his head, chuckling as he ran his fingertip along the lid of his cup. "Well, I've kinda been what Peter might call a hobbit this morning."</p>
<p>"Oh, really? Well, you'd be one tall-ass hobbit, that's for sure," Sam said, laughing as he tore off a chunk of his blueberry scone. "So, how many breakfasts have you had, then?"</p>
<p>"Ah, three," answered Steve. "One by myself, one with Peter, and one with Tony, about twenty minutes ago."</p>
<p>"Ah huh," said Sam. "And… is there any specific reason for this hobbit-like behaviour? I mean, I know it's not unusual for guys like you and Bucky to eat full meals every hour on the hour, but… something tells me that there's something more going on here."</p>
<p>Steve shrugged as he took a sip of his drink, swirling the hot, minty liquid in his mouth before swallowing and trying hard to ignore Sam's pointed look. Tony had always told him that he was an easy person to read, and it was times like this when he really wished that he wasn't.</p>
<p>"Steve, it's always helpful to get this stuff out, right?" Sam gently prodded. "It's not good for anyone to keep things bottled up, mainly 'cause then you're never sure when it's just gonna start bubbling over and make a huge mess."</p>
<p>"Yeah, I know," said Steve. "I just…" He trailed off, feeling more and more foolish with each passing second. Even Bucky, who'd grown up with most of the same mindsets and sentiments as Steve, had found it easier to open up over time.</p>
<p>"I had another nightmare, early this morning," Steve finally said.</p>
<p>"All right," said Sam. "What about?"</p>
<p>"It was the <em>Valkyrie,</em>" answered Steve. "Only this time, it was… different."</p>
<p>"All right," repeated Sam. "How so?"</p>
<p>Steve scoffed, taking a long sip of his tea while Sam patiently waited. "It was still the same <em>Valkyrie,</em>" he said, very softly. "And the same stuff was happening. The controls were frozen, I didn't know how to land, I radioed for help, all of that was the same."</p>
<p>"Okay, so… what was different?" asked Sam. "'Cause I have a feeling that's what's throwing you off here."</p>
<p>"It is," agreed Steve. "And it was—it was—" He huffed out a sharp breath, shaking his head. "It was like it was happening in the here and now, but still in 1944. At the same time."</p>
<p>Sam's eyebrows knitted together as he tore off another piece off his scone. "You feel like going into a bit more detail about that?"</p>
<p>"I knew I was here, now," Steve said. "I knew I was married to Tony, and that we were part of the Avengers. But then it was Peggy on the radio, just like she was in 1944, but somehow she knew about Tony and Peter too. She kept telling me that it would be okay, that they would understand what I was about to do, and I just—" He broke off, tapping the table with his palm. "None of it made any sense!"</p>
<p>"Okay, okay, we can work with this," Sam said. He took a sip of his coffee, his calm demeanour already easing Steve's frazzled nerves. "You said it was Peggy on the radio with you?"</p>
<p>"Yes," Steve said with a nod. "She was the last person I talked to before—before—"</p>
<p>"Yeah, okay," Sam cut in. "And when you knew her, did she know about you? That you…?"</p>
<p>"That I didn't like gals?" Steve asked. "Yeah, she did. I didn't know that she did until Tony and I went to visit her during the whole Project Insight mess, but apparently she had at least guessed it back during the war."</p>
<p>"Well, no one's ever gonna accuse you of being a good liar," Sam said, grinning. "Which is not a bad thing, let me just say. But anyway, it's not unusual for a soldier's mind to blend different battles together, Steve. I know it's happened to you before."</p>
<p>"Yes, but not like this," said Steve. "Getting details mixed up about the different HYDRA raids during the war isn't the same as having my two timelines merging together like this."</p>
<p>Sam leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Well, if it's any consolation, it's happened to Bucky too, and not just once. He's dreamt about falling from the train too many times for me to count, but lately he's been telling me he's been seeing me in those dreams too, along with you and the rest of your Howling Commando teammates. And that he knows that we're together when he falls."</p>
<p>"Really?" Steve said with a frown. "Almost like you were one of the Howling Commandos with us?"</p>
<p>"That's what he said," answered Sam. "The first few times it freaked him the hell out pretty good, but now he just kinda goes with it. As much as anyone can, I guess."</p>
<p>"Oh, that's good," Steve said. "You've been so good for him, Sam. He's very lucky to have you."</p>
<p>Sam grinned as he fiddled with the edge of his napkin. "Well, I'm pretty damn lucky to have him too. Long as you don't tell him that I said anything."</p>
<p>"You know that I won't," Steve said quickly. "I'm just glad he's okay."</p>
<p>"Yeah, he's okay," Sam assured him. "He still has his bad days every now and then, but… don't we all?"</p>
<p>"Okay, but then <em>why?"</em> Steve demanded, almost too harshly. "Why is all of this happening? I understand that we can sometimes have bad dreams, but why ones like this? And why now, all of a sudden?"</p>
<p>"Steve, I wish I knew," said Sam. "But I'm afraid that's a better question for people like Tony and Bruce. Or maybe even Thor."</p>
<p>"Thor? Why Thor?" Steve asked. "You think these dreams have something to do with the infinity stones?"</p>
<p>"Steve, I honestly don't know," said Sam. "The stones, that goofy HYDRA drug you guys all got, who knows? Probably some combination of all of it."</p>
<p>"But Peter got that drug too, multiple times," Steve insisted. "And he can still remember believing that either Tony or I was dead. In two different timelines."</p>
<p>"But those weren't timelines that had actually happened, Steve," Sam said evenly. "Yours and Bucky's did actually happen. Look, I know you don't like this, and frankly, neither do I. But I don't think it's just a coincidence that you're both having dreams like this, which leads me to believe it's gotta somehow be related to these gem things."</p>
<p>"No, I don't think it's a coincidence either," Steve said. He let out a heavy sigh as he downed the rest of his tea. "I just don't like not knowing what's going on. Especially if it's something that might be important, if that makes any sense."</p>
<p>"Yeah, it makes perfect sense," said Sam. "And you wouldn't be you if you did. But as much as we might hate it, there's just nothing we can do about it at the moment."</p>
<p>Steve's eyebrows knitted together. "Well, you're right. I do hate it."</p>
<p>"I think it would help if you talk to Tony about it, though," Sam said gently. "I know you think he's under too much stress to want to deal with your problems, but, Steve, I can tell you that it's more stressful for him to know that you're hurting, but not know why. 'Cause then all he can do is guess until you tell him, and his guesses are always gonna be worse than reality."</p>
<p>"Mmm," grumbled Steve. Sam was right, as much as he hated to admit it. Steve had always disliked dumping his problems on people. His ma had always been too exhausted and overworked for Steve to want to burden her even more, and since Bucky had been the source of many of Steve's issues growing up, Steve hadn't ever grown used to confiding in him either.</p>
<p>"I'll talk to Tony," he whispered.</p>
<p>"Good," replied Sam. "When?"</p>
<p>"When I get back," Steve said after a few heartbeat's pause.</p>
<p>Sam grinned, popping the last of his scone into his mouth. "That's better," he said. "See, you are learning."</p>
<p>"Yeah, I guess."</p>
<p>"Now, how 'bout we swerve onto something a bit more fun, hmm?" Sam said as he leaned forward. "About those Mets…"</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Okay, that's good," Tony said as he tweaked the knee joint of his newest suit design, one that he had dubbed Igor. "About how many tons can he hold now?"</p>
<p>"Approximately three, sir," answered JARVIS. "But be advised, the suit would only be able to withstand that amount of weight for exactly one hundred and twenty seconds, after which the legs would begin to buckle."</p>
<p>"Yeah, yeah," Tony said as he scrubbed his palm down his face. "The theory is that he wouldn't have to hold the weight for much longer than that, but… what would happen if we increased the density of the titanium in the alloy mixture by five percent?"</p>
<p>"That would increase the suit's weight-bearing capacity by fifteen percent," said JARVIS.</p>
<p>"Ah huh," said Tony. "So how long would that give us?"</p>
<p>"The estimated time would double, sir."</p>
<p>"Good. Then let's go with that," Tony said. He collapsed the hologram and reached for his coffee cup, which had annoyingly gone cold already. "Is Steve awake yet, J?"</p>
<p>"Not yet, sir," answered JARVIS. "Apparently your suggestion of a nap was indeed a good one."</p>
<p>"Yeah, well, tell that to him," grumbled Tony. Three heartbeats passed until he froze in place, glancing up at the ceiling. "Wait. You know that I'm kidding, right?"</p>
<p>"Indeed I do, sir."</p>
<p>"Good. Glad I programmed you with a sense of humour."</p>
<p>"Actually, I believe it's due more to my learning processor, sir," said JARVIS. "But yes, I am indeed grateful."</p>
<p>"Oh, whatever," Tony muttered as he grabbed his coffee cup and tablet and headed towards the kitchen, nearly running headlong into Peter, who was busy shoving Doritos into his mouth and reading from a piece of paper as he walked.</p>
<p>"Whoa there, buddy!" Tony said as he jumped back. "You gotta give me some warning here!"</p>
<p>"Sorry, Dad," Peter said, wincing as he licked orange dust from his fingertips. "But I just remembered that I forgot to get you or Papa to sign my permission slip, and it's due tomorrow."</p>
<p>"Oh? And where do you think you're going now?" Tony asked. "It better not be Columbia again, 'cause—"</p>
<p>"No, no, it's not for chemistry this time, Dad," Peter said as he handed Tony the paper. "It's for History."</p>
<p>"History?" Tony frowned, squinting at the too-small print. Of course he had left his glasses in the lab. "Why the hell would you need to go to the Museum of Modern Art for History?"</p>
<p>Peter shrugged. "I don't know, Dad. All I need is for you to just sign the form."</p>
<p>"Mmm. And you're sure that you wanna go?" Tony asked. He was already mentally calculating the range of the defence drones, making sure they could cover the distance between the Tower and the museum.</p>
<p>Which they easily could, or the discussion would've already been moot. With how frequent Steve's goofy timeline nightmares had been coming lately, Tony had the eerie feeling that something big was about to happen, and soon. Thor, Bruce, and Loki had finally taken off with the Tesseract in their newly repaired ship about a week ago, and while Tony hadn't expected to hear anything from them until they got back, every day that passed with no word was only making his twitchiness, as Peter would call it, that much worse.</p>
<p>But he wasn't about to wake Steve up over something as trivial as a school field trip. He and Steve had already decided that despite their own fears, they were going to try and keep Peter's life as normal as possible, and Tony supposed that included school field trips to boring art museums.</p>
<p>"Yeah, Dad, I'm sure," Peter said with a frown. "Gwen's going."</p>
<p>"Oh, well, then that makes perfect sense," said Tony. "Gotta go where the girl's going."</p>
<p>"Yeah, well, she's gonna be leaving soon," Peter said sadly. "We've only got another four weeks or so, and then—"</p>
<p>"Then the summer will be over before you know it, and she'll be back," Tony said as he ruffled Peter's hair. "Don't you always say that the summers go too fast?"</p>
<p>Peter shrugged. "Yeah, we'll see. So, can you sign it?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, just give me a minute," Tony muttered as he started digging through the kitchen's various junk drawers. "'Cause unless you want this thing signed with one of your papa's paintbrushes, that means I've got to find a pen."</p>
<p>"Um, I've probably got one in my room somewhere," Peter said. "Do you need—"</p>
<p>"Ah, I found one!" Tony exclaimed as he emerged from the depths of the third junk drawer. He signed the paper with only a bit of his usual flourish before handing it back to Peter. "Did Papa happen to mention what he was planning for dinner tonight before he hit the hay?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, he told me that I could order pizza if he's not awake by now," Peter answered. "So—"</p>
<p>"Go ahead and order whatever you want, bud," Tony cut in. "I'm just gonna go and check on him while we wait, hmm?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, okay," said Peter. "JARVIS?"</p>
<p>"Your pizza order has been transmitted, Master Peter," said JARVIS. "Estimated time of delivery is approximately thirty minutes."</p>
<p>"Uh huh. Thanks."</p>
<p>"You are most welcome."</p>
<p>Making his way down to his and Steve's bedroom, Tony stepped inside to find him just starting to stir. He quickly crawled onto the bed next to him, gathering his tall, broad husband into his arms as Steve's gorgeous blue eyes fluttered open.</p>
<p>"Hey," Steve said, all raspy and croaky and way, <em>way </em>too sexy. "Everything okay?"</p>
<p>"Ah, yeah, I was just coming in to peek at you," Tony murmured as he smoothed Steve's bangs from his forehead, his heart fluttering at the sheer amount of gorgeousness emanating from him, even in his barely-awake, disheveled state.</p>
<p>"You feeling any better now?"</p>
<p>Steve's full lips curled into a slight smile as he wound his arms around Tony's waist, pulling him down and rolling over so he was half-trapped beneath him.</p>
<p>"I'm much better now," Steve said, his warm breath on Tony's neck causing him to shiver. They had finally celebrated their anniversary the night before, including the recreation of their wedding night that Steve—and Tony—had so badly wanted, and it had been glorious. Even three years after the fact, Tony still couldn't believe that he'd been so lucky as to marry someone as incredible as Steve, and the amount of love and attention that Steve had showered him with the night before, well… it was pretty much indescribable.</p>
<p>And for Steve, who had never, ever passed up an opportunity to demonstrate his love and affection for Tony, that was saying something.</p>
<p>"Mmm, honey," Tony murmured, squirming as Steve's lips trailed along the side of his neck. "You keep this up and Pete will end up scarfing down all of your pizza."</p>
<p>He felt Steve smile against his skin. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're probably right. How 'bout I take a rain check for tonight, then?"</p>
<p>"Oh, so this is starting to become a thing now, hmm?" Tony said, rather cheekily. "You end up getting up way too damn early, which makes you want to take one of these afternoon naps of yours, which then only makes you wanna stay up all night again." He twisted around in Steve's arms so he could face him. "You do see where this is going, don't you?"</p>
<p>"Well, then you better tire me out tonight, mo grá," Steve said, so low and husky that a bolt of pure heat shot down Tony's spine. "Don't you think?"</p>
<p>"<em>Steve," </em>Tony whispered as Steve's lips attacked his neck again. "Honey, you know I'll do anything for you."</p>
<p>Steve breathed in, pressing Tony even closer to him. "I just want you to love me," he whispered. "I want to grow old with you, and I want us to watch Peter graduate, and go to college, and get married together. That's all I want, sweetheart."</p>
<p>"Well, then that'll be the easiest thing I've ever done in my life," said Tony. "But now, we should probably go feed you, hmm? I wasn't kidding about Pete eating all of your pizza."</p>
<p>"No, I know you weren't," Steve said, sounding just a bit more awake. "But I wasn't kidding about tonight either."</p>
<p>"Well, good, 'cause I'm definitely gonna hold you to that," Tony said. He pressed a long, lingering kiss to Steve's lips, trailing his thumb across his cheekbone. "C'mon, honey. I bet Pete's already getting suspicious."</p>
<p>"I'm sure it wouldn't be the first time," Steve answered. With a final squeeze, he raised his arm and sat up, helping Tony off the bed.</p>
<p>As evenings go, it wasn't too bad. They ate dinner with Peter, as they usually did, and then Tony headed back to his lab, determined to get Igor figured out before he and Steve went to bed. They had struck up a bargain once Steve's weird dreams had started that they would try and go to bed together every night, thinking it would help them both get more—and better—sleep, and so far it had worked out fairly well.</p>
<p>And the sex surely didn't hurt anything either. In fact, as he and Steve clung to each other later that night, with Steve's head resting on his chest, Tony was convinced that there had been far too few clinical studies conducted on the sleep-inducing prowess of orgasms, and that someone really needed to rectify such an oversight.</p>
<p>Pressing a kiss to Steve's forehead, Tony tightened his arms around him, begging the various deities floating around up in the heavens to let his man get some decent rest for a change, free from the nightmares that caused his beautiful face to screw into expressions of such unimaginable pain that it nearly caused Tony's heart to crack in two.</p>
<p><em>We're gonna be okay, honey, </em>he thought as he felt himself drifting off. '<em>Cause I've got your back.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Please. Let us be okay.</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>Stop by and see me on tumblr, I’m <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geekymoviemom">geekymoviemom</a> and <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geeky-writes">geeky-writes</a> there 😊 </strong>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Whew, we’re just about there 😉.</p>
<p>I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment!  💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here we go! 😉 </p><p>A huge thank-you to my awesome betas, allthesinnersandthesaints and jehbeeeh! 💖</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony frowned, tilting his head as he regarded the glowing blue hologram hovering in the air in front of him. It was another suit, one that he and Bruce had designed specifically as an emergency backup to help bring down Hulk in case he ever decided to go rogue. They had started on the initial design drafts way back when Bucky was first brought to the Tower after the Project Insight fiasco, but with his and Steve's wedding, then their honeymoon, then their kidnapping by Obadiah and Aldrich Killian and the months-long hospital stays that followed, that particular suit got pushed to the back of Tony's "must-have" list.</p><p>And then it got pushed back again after all of HYDRA's wanna-be super soldiers started coming out of the woodwork, forcing Tony to channel all of his attention into developing his nanites.</p><p>Unfortunately, now that the nanites were at least somewhat perfected, Tony felt that he'd fallen so far behind on building more of his regular suits—and relying far too heavily on the drones—that he needed to make up for lost time. Hence, turning his attention back to his Hulkbuster armour, the suit that Bruce had for some reason dubbed, Veronica.</p><p>"Okay, J," he said as he ran his fingers down his goatee. "Give me an estimate of how much force this thing would be able to block, yeah?"</p><p>"With the armour's current configuration, I would estimate an opposing force of up to fifty million Newtons, sir," answered JARVIS.</p><p>"Hmm…" Tony muttered as he walked slowly around the hologram, tweaking a few things here and there. Fifty million Newtons would probably be enough to withstand Hulk if he was just standing still, but since Tony could not actually imagine Hulk just standing still—and even less so if he was going bonkers—then it wasn't going to be enough.</p><p>"Bruce estimated that Hulk generates at least fifty-five million Newtons when he's just throwing out casual punches," Tony said. "So I think we're gonna need more."</p><p>"Yes, sir, I would agree," said JARVIS. "Increasing the thickness of both gauntlets by three millimetres would offer a fifteen percent increase in the suit's arm strength."</p><p>Tony nodded, tapping his chin. "All right. And if we did that, and I just happened to meet Hulk's fist with mine head-on, then—?"</p><p>"The resulting shockwave would likely shatter every single window within a five-block radius, sir," said JARVIS.</p><p>"Hmm," said Tony. "Well, I can't say I'm specifically looking for that, but if it keeps Hulk from punching other people, or cars, or buildings that are filled with other people, then I'd say it's a trade-off that's decent enough."</p><p>"I would agree, sir," said JARVIS. "Shall I commence with the rendering?"</p><p>"Eh, not just yet, J, yeah? Give me a couple minutes, I just wanna rerun some tests first."</p><p>"As you wish, sir."</p><p>"Yeah." Tony would have far preferred to have gone over the calculations with Bruce one final time before starting in on the render, but seeing as how Bruce was offworld with Thor and Loki, <em>still,</em> he couldn't actually do that.</p><p>And it wasn't that Tony didn't trust JARVIS's calculations. He was only trying to be extra careful. An out-of-control Hulk may not be quite as big of a threat as an invasion from space, but it still ranked up there near the top of things that Tony really didn't want to have to deal with. So if his caution just happened to tip the slightest way into paranoia, well, since he was currently the only person in the penthouse, then at least there were no witnesses present who could call him out on it.</p><p>Gulping down the rest of the lukewarm coffee in his cup, Tony ran through all of his calculations again, huffing out a sharp breath when he arrived at the same conclusion he'd come to an hour ago.</p><p>"All right, J, looks like we're good to go," he said as he trailed his finger along the outline of Steve's dog tags through his shirt. At Steve's request, or more like down-on-his-knees begging, Tony had stopped wearing his nanite case on his chest while inside the house, resorting instead to carrying it around in his pocket. He supposed that wearing it to bed had maybe—<em>just maybe—</em>gone just a teensy bit overboard, but in his mind, there was no such thing as overboard when it came to protecting his family.</p><p>After being forced to watch Peter literally get stolen right out from under his nose and then having Steve get literally torn right from his arms, Tony was taking no more chances.</p><p>"Very good, sir. Estimated time of completion for render and assembly is six hours."</p><p>"Yep. Got it."</p><p>"Oh, and I have just received an incoming text message from Master Peter," added JARVIS. "He is very politely requesting that you feed his fish for him."</p><p>Tony let out a half-amused groan, rolling his eyes. "What, did he forget again?"</p><p>"He did not specify, sir, but I do believe it is safe to assume as such."</p><p>"It's pretty much always safe to assume that that kid's forgotten something or other," Tony muttered. "Tell him I'll take care of it, yeah?"</p><p>"Very good, sir. I am sure Master Peter will be most grateful."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah." Still running calculations through his head—all the better to avoid thinking about the fact that in about an hour Peter was going to be riding to his field trip on a goddamn <em>school bus</em>, a vehicle that Tony absolutely <em>despised</em>—Tony picked up his stack of diagrams and notes and was just about to exit the lab when JARVIS spoke up again.</p><p>"There is an incoming call from Agent Romanoff, sir," he said. "Non-urgent."</p><p>Tony dropped his head, chuckling as he set his stuff back down on the counter. Of all the days for Steve to go running late…</p><p>"Go ahead and put her through, J."</p><p>"Hey, Tony," Natasha said as her face filled the viewscreen. "You got a minute?"</p><p>"For you, Agent Romanoff, I have three," Tony said with a grin. "What's up?"</p><p>"Well, you probably don't remember that the twins are graduating from high school in about three weeks—"</p><p>"Nope, I didn't," Tony cut in. "Nat, you know I can barely keep up with my own kid's activities, much less yours. Times two."</p><p>"Yeah, I can't say that I blame you," Natasha said with a smile. "Or, not too much. Anyway, Clint and I were talking about hosting a party for them the week after their graduation ceremony, and we wanted to make sure that you and Steve would be okay if we held it here at the Compound."</p><p>"Ahh…" Tony said slowly, grimacing. "Um, how many people are we thinking here?"</p><p>"Well… we thought we could keep it to five friends each for the twins, plus their families… I'm thinking it would be around sixty people total? So around seventy including the rest of us."</p><p>"Yeesh," grumbled Tony. "Seventy? Really?"</p><p>"Oh, come on, Tony," Natasha said, rather cheekily. "I know you've been to bigger parties than that."</p><p>"Oh, ha, ha, ha," Tony said with what he hoped was a playful frown. "I'm just—we don't happen to know the security clearance of any of these people, do we?"</p><p>"Tony, they're high school students, so I would hope that none of them would need security clearance," Natasha said slowly. "But if it helps I can run some quick inquiries on their parents, just to make sure."</p><p>"Eh, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it," Tony said as he scratched at the back of his head. "And I'm sure Steve won't mind it either."</p><p>"No, I don't mind. And we were thinking of just holding the party outside, in the front yard. We'll get some tents and tables and portable bathrooms so there won't be any need for people to be traipsing around inside the buildings."</p><p>"And plenty of security guards," Tony said. "I'd want 'em stationed at every building entrance, and down by the gates to the driveway."</p><p>"Yes, we can have those too," said Natasha. "I've already spoken to Happy about it."</p><p>"Well, all right then," Tony said. He'd run out of excuses. "Go ahead and plan your party."</p><p>Natasha grinned. "Thanks, I think the twins are going to love it. I know it's only high school, but this is a pretty big deal for them."</p><p>"Of course it is," said Tony. "I'm not so dense as to not understand that. You and Barton should be proud of how well you've been able to steer those kids onto the right track."</p><p>"Well, they weren't exactly all that difficult, but I'll definitely take my share of the credit," said Natasha. "As will Clint."</p><p>"Long as he doesn't try and take your share," said Tony.</p><p>"Oh, you know him," Natasha said. "Still no word from Thor?"</p><p>Tony let out a frustrated groan. "No, nothing since they left. I mean, I know there's no such thing as warp speed, despite all of the television evidence to the contrary, but I would've thought we would've heard something by now. It's been almost two weeks."</p><p>"Well, I guess we just have to assume that no news is good news in this case," said Natasha.</p><p>"Mmm," grumbled Tony. "Or I can just make sure that I develop some kind of interspace communications system before anyone else decides to go caravanning between planets. 'Cause this whole waiting next to the phone thing really freaking sucks."</p><p>"Which is probably why it's good that you're surrounded by distractions," Natasha said, smirking. "Right?"</p><p>"Yeah… well… a little tinkering never hurt anyone," Tony said, his head bobbing his head back and forth. "Or at least not too much. Let me know once you're done with all of your inquiring, yeah?"</p><p>"I will," replied Natasha. "And say hi to my милая ошибка for me."</p><p>"Say hi to your little bug. Got it," Tony said. "You know, for all of my qualms about the Russian language, I have to say, it is almost scary how accurate your diminutive nicknames can be."</p><p>Natasha laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Well, you know it's not actually meant to be literal, but… hey. I didn't invent the language, I just grew up speaking it."</p><p>"Eh, better you than me," said Tony. "Did you need anything else? Your speedster got his new shoes, didn't he?"</p><p>"Yep, he did, so we're all good here," said Natasha. "We'll see all of you guys this weekend."</p><p>"'Kay. See ya."</p><p>Tony let out a groan once the screen went black, rubbing at his aching temples. While he couldn't be upset that Barton and Nat wanted to celebrate the twins' graduation, all it did was add to the stress he'd been carrying around ever since—</p><p>Since…</p><p>Actually, at the moment, Tony couldn't remember a time when he <em>wasn't </em>stressed.</p><p>But, he supposed, that was probably beside the point.</p><p>Picking up his stack of stuff, <em>again</em>, Tony dumped it off in the kitchen before continuing on into Peter's room. Peter had set up the five-gallon fish tank that Bucky had bought him for Christmas on his reading table next to the windows, thinking that Finley, the fish, would enjoy the occasional look out on the city while he was away at school. This all despite the fact that even though the fish's tank was massive for such a tiny fish, it also featured so many tank accessories that it closely resembled one of the flea circuses that had been so popular during Steve's boyhood years.</p><p>Which, come to think of it, was probably why Bucky had bought it all.</p><p>"All right, little fishy, let's see what we're supposed to be doing here," Tony muttered as he located the container of fish food in the mass of clutter that covered the table. He held it at arm's length, attempting to read the tiny print on the label and giving up after about three frustrating seconds. "JARVIS, do you know how many of these things I'm supposed to give him?"</p><p>"I believe that Master Peter gives Finley four pellets in the morning, and four again in the evening, sir," answered JARVIS.</p><p>"Gotcha," Tony said as he dropped four pellets into the tank, chuckling when the fish shot up so quickly up from the bottom that he ended up zooming right past them. The fish quickly turned, attacking the first pellet so voraciously that Tony heard an audible <em>crunch.</em> "Whoa there, fishy, slow down a bit! You don't wanna choke, right?"</p><p><em>God, I am such a dad, </em>he thought. <em>What's next, talking to plants?</em></p><p>Oh well. At least he hadn't been expecting a response.</p><p>The fish sufficiently fed, Tony recapped the container and exited the room, heading back to the kitchen to put on some more coffee. He leaned against the counter while it was brewing, fighting the urge to ask JARVIS if Peter's bus had left for the museum yet. He had offered to drive Peter and his friends there himself, but Peter had declined, giving Tony some excuse about the school's liability insurance stating that all of the students needed to arrive together, or something to that effect.</p><p>All of which was probably just a cover for Peter wanting to sit on a hard school bus bench seat and hold his girlfriend's hand, out from under the prying eyes of his father.</p><p>Which, all things considered, Tony couldn't really argue against. He had noticed Peter getting more and more down about the fact that Gwen was leaving soon, and knew he was trying to maximise the time he got to spend with her before she left. He and Steve had even discussed the possibility of making a trip out to London over the summer so Peter could visit her, but seeing as how they didn't have a house or apartment out there, Tony was uneasy about it. He just didn't feel comfortable having Peter anywhere that he couldn't adequately secure, and since he highly doubted that the British government would allow him to place some of his defence drones on top of one of their hotels, then the risk just wasn't worth it.</p><p>And that's even if Tony had wanted to declassify his defence drones to the British government in the first place. Which he didn't.</p><p>"JARVIS? Has Pete left for that field trip of his yet?" he asked, trying to sound casual, and failing miserably.</p><p>"I am still placing Master Peter's current location at the school, sir," replied JARVIS. "If I remember correctly, they are due to leave in approximately forty-five minutes."</p><p>"If you remember correctly," Tony muttered, chuckling as he poured a fresh cup of coffee. "Like you somehow wouldn't?"</p><p>"I am going to assume that question was rhetorical, sir," JARVIS said after a short pause.</p><p>"Yeah, that's a good one." Tony set his coffee and one of Steve's homemade bagels down on the kitchen table, smearing it with some cinnamon cream cheese as he spread out his work. In addition to promising that he would come to bed every night, Tony had also promised Steve that he'd do better about eating during the day, and so far he felt that he had done pretty well.</p><p>It didn't hurt that Steve had made sure to keep the kitchen stocked with plenty of easy-to-snack-on-but-still-healthy foods, mostly made by his—and Peter's—own hands.</p><p>Anything to help ease his husband's worry burden a little. Because despite Steve's ongoing discussions with Sam, his goofy time-merging nightmares hadn't eased up at all.</p><p>If anything, they had gotten even worse. And that worried Tony.</p><p>He could build all of the tech that he wanted, but not even his most advanced drones or suits or nanites could deal with anything having to do with time, and it was starting to make Tony feel like he was slowly being backed into a two-sided triangle, stuck in a corner while facing down an invisible army against which he had no defence.</p><p>And that was simply unacceptable.</p><hr/><p>"Now, look, Cap, I'm not saying that you'd have to make every single game. The Mets have all sorts of different season ticket packages, so there's plenty to choose from," Sam said as they rounded a corner on the main running trail that surrounded Central Park. It was a near picture-perfect spring day, with the air crisp but not too cool and the sun shining brightly off the Reservoir, but that also meant that it was absolutely packed with runners, joggers, and walkers, requiring Steve and Sam to dodge various groups and individuals as they completed their laps.</p><p><em>This is why I usually like to run early,</em> Steve thought as he pivoted to avoid a flying elbow. There were always far fewer people out and about before the sun rose. Even in New York City.</p><p>"All I'm saying is that it might give you some more chances to unwind a bit," added Sam. "Which, no offence, you could definitely use."</p><p>"Yeah, I know," Steve said. "But hasn't the baseball season already started? I thought you and Bucky have already been to a few games."</p><p>"Yeah, we have," Sam said as they swerved around another walker. "But the stadium's pretty big, so there's plenty of room for you too."</p><p>Steve frowned, shaking his head as they rounded a curve in the trail. "Eh, I don't know, Sam. I'd feel bad crashing on yours and Bucky's dates all the time, and—"</p><p>"Jesus, Steve, you're not crashing a date if we invite you along," Sam retorted. He began to slow down his pace as they approached one of the park's entrances, which Steve reluctantly followed. He didn't feel done quite yet, or at least didn't feel like he'd run off enough of his stress yet, and had half a mind to ask Sam if he could take off for a couple more laps when Sam grabbed onto his arm, halting him.</p><p>"Steve, we've already done over ten miles," he said firmly. "That's enough for today."</p><p>Steve huffed, but nodded anyway. He had already clocked over a hundred miles that week alone, all while completely brushing off Tony's concerns about his stupid bum foot and the fact that he'd been up before four in the morning for the past three days, which was early even for him. But all that those logged miles had managed to do was force him into buying three new pairs of running shoes, none of which were helping him to sleep any better.</p><p>"Yeah, okay," he murmured as he followed Sam over to one of the public water fountains. He tried to stretch while they waited in line for their turn, shaking out his arms and stretching out his quads as he attempted to come up with yet another excuse for not wanting to buy season tickets to the Mets.</p><p>It's not that Steve didn't want to go, he just knew that since there was no way he'd be able to convince Tony to go with him—Tony had likened watching a baseball game to watching paint dry—he didn't feel comfortable leaving Tony alone in the penthouse more often than he already did. It also put way too much pressure on Peter's shoulders, and that wasn't fair to him either.</p><p>At least not until their current crisis had passed, which, despite all of his numerous attempts, Steve was still no closer to figuring out when something might happen than he had been before the team's trip to Wakanda.</p><p>"Let me think about the tickets a bit more, okay, Sam?" he asked once Sam was done with the water fountain. "I'll need to talk to Tony about it, and—"</p><p>"Steve, talking to your spouse about it is fine," said Sam. "Just let me know soon, okay? 'Cause as much as it pains me to admit it, the Mets are looking pretty good this year, and I'd hate for you to miss out."</p><p>That at least got Steve to chuckle. "Oh, really," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Is that how it is?"</p><p>Sam shot him a wide smile. "Well, I don't know, Cap. I guess you'll just have to come and watch the games so you can see for yourself."</p><p>Steve was just about to reply when he heard a sudden crackling noise off to his left, causing him to jump back. He immediately grabbed for Sam, shoving him behind him just as some kind of glowing golden circle of light appeared about a metre or so away. The circle was rotating counterclockwise, throwing off massive sparks as it grew wider and wider until it was large enough for a man to step through.</p><p>"Captain Rogers," the man said, standing in front of the sparkling circle as if it were something completely normal. "I need you to come with me right now."</p><p>For a moment, Steve was too stunned to even speak, his eyes wide in disbelief. Out of all of the odd things he'd seen in his lifetime—<em>both</em> lifetimes—this ranked right up there amongst the weirdest.</p><p>And besides that, the man looked oddly familiar.</p><p>"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you?" Sam asked as he stepped out from behind Steve, his arms crossed in front of him. "And how did you know where we'd be—?"</p><p>"You—you're Dr Strange!" Steve blurted out, pointing at the tall, dark-haired man who for some reason was wearing a long maroon cape that, aside from the collar, looked a lot like Thor's.</p><p>"Who?" asked Sam, obviously confused. "'Cause if you just said what I think you said, then that seems a bit too on the nose, if you know what I mean."</p><p>"His name is Doctor Stephen Strange," Steve said, glancing at Sam. His free hand curled into a fist, his jaw twitching as he tried to keep his temper in check. "This is the brain surgeon who refused to come and see Peter when he was sick down in Miami!"</p><p>Dr Strange pursed his lips, as if he was already impatient with the conversation. "Yes, Captain, I did," he said evenly. "And as I explained to both you and Mr Stark at the time, I did not routinely treat children, and therefore did not believe it was feasible to—"</p><p>"Not feasible!" Steve exclaimed through clenched teeth. "Our son was in a coma for months! One that we had no idea if he'd ever come out of, and now you're telling me that it wasn't <em>feasible—!</em>"</p><p>"Captain Rogers, I'm afraid that I must interrupt," Dr Strange cut in. "We need your help, you and the rest of your team, and there is no time to waste."</p><p>"Oh, and now you suddenly need our help? What the hell for?" demanded Sam. The golden circle was still spinning and throwing off sparks, and, as Steve looked past Dr Strange, he could've sworn that he saw the inside some kind of building behind him, as though he'd simply stepped through the circle from his home directly into the park.</p><p>But… that was impossible, wasn't it? Tony and Peter had both told Steve numerous times that despite everything that he'd seen in Star Trek, not even the greatest scientific minds in the world had managed to figure out how to safely teleport people yet.</p><p>So, how in the <em>hell</em> was this happening?</p><p>"We are currently in the midst of a developing crisis," said Dr Strange, sounding grim. "It's not overselling it to say that the fate of the universe is at stake."</p><p>"Oh, really?" Sam asked, frowning. "And who in the hell is 'we'?"</p><p>With a frustrated sigh, Dr Strange stepped to the side to reveal another man standing behind him, one who caused Steve's belly to drop to his knees.</p><p>"Hey, you guys," came the shaky voice of Bruce, looking more terrified than Steve had ever seen him. Steve knew that Bruce had spent years on the run in some of the most dangerous places on the planet, so there wasn't much that scared him. And, as far as Steve knew, Hulk wasn't scared of anything.</p><p>"Bruce!" Steve exclaimed as Bruce stumbled forward, practically collapsing into Steve's arms. "What—what're you doing here? Where's Thor? And—and Loki? And the ship?"</p><p>
  <em>And the Tesseract?</em>
</p><p>But Bruce only shook his head. "Steve, it's—<em>he's </em>coming," he said, low and raspy. "Now. As we speak."</p><p>"Who?" Sam asked. "Bruce, who's coming?"</p><p>"Thanos," answered Bruce. He stepped back, clutching his arm. "Steve, he's coming, and we're—we're just not ready! We're nowhere near ready!"</p><p>"Okay, Bruce, I understand," Steve said in his Captain's voice. "But first I need you to tell me what happened. Where's Thor?"</p><p>Bruce made a weird, choked-off sound in the back of this throat. "Steve, I don't—I don't think—"</p><p>"Pardon me, gentlemen, but I must insist that we return to the Sanctum," Dr Strange said. "This will all be much easier to explain there."</p><p>Steve's heart was thudding as he met the physician's eyes, finally nodding once. "All right," he said. "But we need to call Tony first. He should—he should hear this first-hand too."</p><p>"Yes, I would agree," answered Dr Strange. He stepped to the side, indicating the spinning golden circle. "After you, Captain."</p><p>Glancing over at Sam, Steve sucked in a deep breath and stepped through the circle, directly into the entry area of what appeared to be a large, Victorian-type house. Debris consisting of broken and twisted pieces of wood and stone littered the wide steps of the large grand staircase, and there was a huge gaping hole in the vaulted ceiling, almost as if it had been attacked by something.</p><p>"What is this place?" Sam asked as he stepped through, eyeing the broken ceiling. "Is this where you live?"</p><p>"Yes," answered Dr Strange. "Wong and I are the guardians of this Sanctum."</p><p>"You're the <em>what?"</em> Sam asked. "Guardians? I swear you just sounded like you were straight out of one of Peter's movies."</p><p>"I am a Master of the Mystic Arts, Mr Wilson, someone that you might call a wizard," said Dr Strange. "And yes, Wong and I guard this Sanctum."</p><p>"Okay but, Sam, <em>please!" </em>pleaded Bruce. "We really don't have time for this!"</p><p>"All right, all right. Let's just get Tony here so we can start," Steve said as he pulled out his phone. "JARVIS?"</p><p>"At your service, Captain."</p><p>"Can you please have Tony meet us at this location?" Steve asked. "Tell him to fly, it's urgent."</p><p>"Ah, if I may, Captain," said Dr Strange. "It would be much faster for me to simply create another portal."</p><p>"You mean, one of those glowing circle things?" asked Sam. "You can do that right into the Tower?"</p><p>"<em>What?"</em> Steve yelped as he whirled on the doctor. "You mean you can open one of those portals directly into my <em>home?"</em></p><p>"In an emergency, yes, Captain, I can," snapped Dr Strange. "But seeing as how I have had the ability to do so for the better part of a year now and have not made any such attempt, then suffice it to say that I only use these powers when absolutely necessary. Such as right now."</p><p>"Steve, I promise it's okay," Bruce said. "We need to trust him."</p><p>It was on the tip of Steve's tongue to ask why. Why they absolutely needed to trust some holier-than-thou doctor who hadn't even had the courtesy to consult on Peter when he and Tony had feared that their son's mind might've been lost for good.</p><p>But then again, Bruce had never been one for hyperbole, and so if he was willing to vouch for Dr Strange, and completely overlook the fact that producing glowing teleportation circles wasn’t part of any medical school curriculum that Steve had ever heard of, then Steve supposed he would just have to trust Bruce's judgement.</p><p>"All right," he said softly. "JARVIS, please tell Tony to step back, I'm coming to get him."</p><p>There was a three heartbeat or so pause while JARVIS processed Steve's words.</p><p>"Very well, Captain. Mr Stark has been warned."</p><p>Nodding at Dr Strange, Steve watched in awed trepidation as the doctor held out his arms, spinning his right in a circular motion as another of the glowing golden circles appeared. Steve quickly stepped forward, holding out his hand towards his obviously shocked husband, who was standing in the middle of their kitchen.</p><p>"Steve?" Tony said, his face etched in worry. "Honey, what in the goddamn <em>hell—?"</em></p><p>"Tony, it's okay," Steve said. "Just… come on through, all right? Bruce is here."</p><p>"Bruce is there? Why?" Tony grabbed onto Steve's hand, gripping it tightly as he stepped through the portal, his eyes going wide as they landed on Bruce.</p><p>"Bruce? What're you doing here? What's going—?" He cut off as his gazed swerved over to Dr Strange, gasping as he recognised him. "You? What the hell are you doing here, you goddamn, no-good quack? Last I heard, you ran your car off a mountain or something!"</p><p>"Tony, we've already been through all of this," Steve said. "Let's just listen to Bruce, okay?"</p><p>Tony's brown eyes were so troubled as they locked with Steve's that his heart gave a painful lurch. "Yeah, honey, okay. Tell me what's going on."</p><p>"First, allow me to introduce Wong," Dr Strange said, indicating an Asian man standing over by the destroyed staircase's railing. "He and I work together here at the Sanctum."</p><p>"Okay, hold on. At the, whatchamacallit?" Tony asked. "What did you say this place was?"</p><p>"Tony, please, just listen, okay?" Bruce said. "We don't have that much time!"</p><p>Tony threw up his hands. "Fine! So what's so important that you have to—"</p><p>"Thanos is coming," Bruce interrupted, his voice practically squeaking in fear. "He's been out there, searching for the infinity gems over the past few years, and now he's coming here!"</p><p>"Who?" Tony sputtered, glancing at Steve. "Is… Thanos?"</p><p>"He's a plague," Bruce continued. "He invades planets, he takes what he wants, and he wipes out half their population. Guys, he's the one who sent Loki. The attack on New York? That was him. The Chitauri are his army, Tony. And he's their general."</p><p>"Okay, so… that whole bedtime story that Thor told us about these infinity gems, that was all actually true?" asked Sam.</p><p>"Every word of it," answered Bruce.</p><p>"Okay, so then where exactly is Thor?" Tony asked. "'Cause shouldn't he be here too?"</p><p>Bruce dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Thor's… dead," he said, so softly that Steve barely heard him. "Thanos, he intercepted our ship. Somehow, he knew we were transporting the Tesseract, and so he disabled us and came aboard, and then he—he—"</p><p>"Oh my God," Steve whispered, his hand clutching Tony's to the point of pain. "This Thanos… he killed Thor?"</p><p>"He killed Loki first," Bruce choked out. "Strangled him with one hand. I—or should I say, the other guy—was barely conscious at the time."</p><p>"The other guy?" Steve asked, completely flabbergasted. "You mean, Hulk? But—but… <em>how?</em>"</p><p>"Thanos already had two of the stones, Steve!" Bruce exclaimed. "He had the Mind Stone and the purple one, the—the—"</p><p>"The purple stone is the Power Stone," said Wong. He stepped over Dr Strange, his hands clasped behind his back. "He must have retrieved it from somewhere offworld."</p><p>"Okay, so… hold on a second here," Tony said, holding up his hands. "You're telling me that Thanos… beat up <em>Hulk?"</em></p><p>"More like beat the ever-lovin' snot out of him, Tony," Bruce said grimly. "It was like fighting Abomination times about a kajillion. We barely survived."</p><p>"Holy shit," Tony whispered as all the blood drained from his cheeks. "Steve, that's—that's—"</p><p>"He's already got three of the stones, guys, which makes him the most powerful creature in the universe," Bruce continued. "The Power Stone, the Mind Stone, and the Space Stone. The Space Stone was inside the Tesseract, just like Thor said. And Thanos just crushed it in his hand like it was nothing. Heimdall, Thor's guardian, was able to send me here just before the ship broke apart, but… guys, he's coming. Thanos knows there's another stone here, so he's on his way. And if we don't stop him, then—"</p><p>"All right, Bruce, we get it," Steve said. "What kind of timeline are we talking about here?"</p><p>"There's no telling," said Bruce. "But I'm guessing it'll be soon. Like, really soon. And if he manages to get his hands on all six stones, then—"</p><p>"He could destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of," finished Dr Strange.</p><p>Tony scoffed, his hand still clutching Steve's. "Did you seriously just say 'hitherto undreamt of'? Who are you, some Shakespeare wannabe?"</p><p>"Tony," Steve said quietly, turning to his husband. "Sweetheart, we need to get Peter back to the Tower. Right now. We can call George Stacy to look after him, but I don't want him out there in the city while—while—"</p><p>"No, no, you're right," Tony said as he pulled out his phone. "JARVIS? Has Pete left the school yet?"</p><p>"Yes, sir. Master Peter's bus is currently en route to the Museum of Modern Art."</p><p>"Damnit," Tony muttered. "All right, then I need you to get a hold of George Stacy right now and ask him to pick up both Pete and Gwen inside the entrance to the museum. Give him the Cliff's Notes, just enough so that he knows what's going on. Then let Pete know that Stacy's on his way, and tell him to wait there at the museum with Gwen until he picks them up. Tell Stacy to take the kids back to the penthouse and wait there until they hear from us."</p><p>"Very good, sir."</p><p>"And please let us know as soon as they arrive at the Tower, JARVIS," added Steve.</p><p>"I shall, Captain."</p><p>"All right," said Steve. "Then as soon as that's done, please call Bucky, Clint, and Nat and tell them what's going on. Tell them we'll let them know as soon as we figure out our next step."</p><p>"Very good, Captain."</p><p>"And, what do you suggest we should do as our next step, Captain?" asked Dr Strange.</p><p>Steve's eyebrows knitted together as he pondered a couple different options in his mind, finally turning to Tony.</p><p>"I think we need to head down to Wakanda," he said. "We need to warn King T'Challa and his people of what's coming."</p><p>"Wakanda?" Wong asked, obviously confused. "What's in Wakanda?"</p><p>"The next one of these stones," answered Tony. "Wakanda is the home of the Soul Stone, so if Thanos is coming here to Earth, it makes sense that that's where he'll head."</p><p>Steve watched as Wong and Dr Strange exchanged loaded glances. "What? Is there something else you need to tell us?"</p><p>"The Soul Stone is not the only infinity gem currently on Earth," Wong said after a short pause.</p><p>"<em>What?"</em> Tony shrieked. "Are you telling me there's another one here?"</p><p>"Yes, I am, Stark," said Dr Strange. He looked down at the rather odd, oval-shaped pendant that was hanging around his neck, pressing a button at the top. Then he crossed his arms in front of it, contorting his fingers as he drew them slowly apart to reveal a glowing green stone hidden inside the pendant.</p><p>"This is the Time Stone," he said. "And I am its protector."</p><p>For a moment, Steve was again too stunned to speak. Their team had been talking for months about removing the Tesseract from Earth because Thor had believed it too dangerous to have that many of the infinity gems on Earth, when all along there was another one located only a few miles away from their home.</p><p>"Are you saying you've had this here the whole time?" demanded Sam.</p><p>"Yes," said Dr Strange, far too calmly for Steve's taste. "As I told you, I am its protector."</p><p>"We have sworn an oath to protect the Time Stone with our lives," added Wong.</p><p>"Goddamnit, I don't give a <em>damn</em> about your oath! My son is in danger!" yelled Tony. "And the Avengers have made no such oath, so how dare you stand here and tell us that—!"</p><p>"Our oath to protect the Time Stone cannot change, Stark, no matter the circumstances," said Dr Strange.</p><p>"Yeah, but you just said it yourself!" exclaimed Sam. "We're talking hitherto undreamt of destruction here!"</p><p>"And if Thanos does indeed make his way to Earth, then this stone may be the best chance that we have against him," said Dr Strange.</p><p>"Yeah, so conversely it may also be his best chance against us!" snapped Tony. "Because if I'm assuming correctly, you can use that thing to tinker with time, yeah?"</p><p>"I'm not sure I would use the term, 'tinker'," said Dr Strange. "But yes. I can manipulate time to my advantage when necessary."</p><p>"Okay, that may be," said Steve. "But if Thanos happened to get his hands on the Time Stone, couldn't he then do the same? Couldn't he rewind things to the Battle of New York, for example? Change things so that the missile hits the city instead of his fleet." Steve's heart swooped as soon as the words left his mouth, remembering his horror as he watched Tony fly through the portal carrying that missile on his back.</p><p>"Stephen and I would not allow that to happen, Captain," said Wong.</p><p>"Oh, sure you wouldn't, until he just kills the both of you and takes the stone anyway," retorted Tony. "Or didn't you wizard-types think of that?"</p><p>"I have become rather adept at using this stone, Stark," Dr Strange said, rather arrogantly. "I highly doubt that would happen."</p><p>"Well, pardon me if I don't feel like taking your word for it," muttered Tony. "Especially after you wouldn't even come down and take a peek at Pete when we asked."</p><p>"Mr Stark," Dr Strange said with a sigh. "As I'm sure you are already aware, I would not have been able to help your son anyway, so this is really a moot point. However, this impending crisis with the stones is not, and therefore absolutely must take precedence at the moment."</p><p>"Tony, now's not the time for petty disagreements," added Bruce. "We need to come up with a plan right now. And then a backup plan or three, 'cause I'm not sure one's gonna be enough."</p><p>"Which brings us back to Wakanda," said Steve. "If we all assemble down there, then we'll have the full fighting force of King T'Challa's warriors to back us up, and we'll be able to better defend both stones if they're in the same place."</p><p>"Okay, but what if we can't defend them?" asked Wong. "Bringing both stones together might just make it easier for Thanos to get his hands on them."</p><p>"Then we'll have to figure out a way to get the stones Thanos already does have away from him," said Tony. "And once we've got 'em, we can stick 'em down a garbage disposal or something."</p><p>"Yeah, 'cause I don't think we'd be able to convince T'Challa to destroy the Soul Stone anymore than these guys wanna destroy the Time Stone," said Sam. "Not that I blame him, of course."</p><p>"But Tony, I don't think destroying any one of the stones is gonna do any good," said Bruce. "Thanos doesn't even have them all yet, and he's still the most powerful being in the universe. The stones will just make it easier for him to do what he wants to do."</p><p>"Then we'll just have to make sure that he doesn't get them," Steve said in his Captain's voice. He glanced down at Tony, quirking an eyebrow. "Tony?"</p><p>Tony gave a stuttered nod. "We should get down to Wakanda as soon as possible," he said. "Soon as we make sure Pete's okay."</p><p>"I agree," Steve said as he gave Tony's hand a squeeze. "Let's go."</p><p>He had just turned back to face the others when a sharp breeze suddenly blew through the hole in the ceiling, accompanied by flying papers and leaves and a loud, groaning noise that reminded Steve way too much of the <em>Valkyrie </em>as it sank into the icy Arctic water. Tony's head immediately snapped up, his brown eyes wide with fear as the street outside the Sanctum suddenly filled with the screams and shouts of terrified people, and the honking and crashing of cars.</p><p>They were already too late.</p><p>Earth was being invaded.</p><hr/><p>"So, my mom was asking if I thought I needed to buy a new shirt to wear to The Lion King?" Ned asked. "What do you guys think?"</p><p>Peter frowned, trying really hard to not roll his eyes as he felt Gwen squeeze his hand. It was at least the third time in as many minutes that Ned had turned around to ask them some silly question, making it impossible for Peter and Gwen to hold any kind of meaningful conversation.</p><p>Or simply stare at each other and sheepishly grin, which was what they had been doing before Ned's latest silly question."</p><p>"Um, I don't know, Ned," Peter finally said. "Do you need a new shirt?"</p><p>"Well, it's a Broadway musical, isn't it?" said Ned. "Aren't you supposed to dress up for those?"</p><p>"I'm just gonna wear something that I'd wear to one of our Decathlon competitions," said Gwen. "We're only going to a matinee, so there'll be people there in jeans and stuff."</p><p>"Oh," said Ned. "Well, I'll probably still get a new shirt."</p><p>"Sounds good, Ned," Gwen said. "I can't wait to see it."</p><p>"Aww, thanks, Gwen!" Ned said with a wide smile. "I'm so glad you guys are looking as forward to this as I am."</p><p>"Ah, yep," said Peter. "Can't wait." <em>Now, please turn around.</em></p><p>But Ned had barely made a turning-like move before he whipped back around, resting his chin on the back of his seat.</p><p>"So, did you hear about the guy in Japan who took DNA from luminous jellyfish and inserted it into other animals?"</p><p>Peter blinked, his eyebrows knitting together. "Um… no? Ned, what're you even talking about?"</p><p>"Well, I was just thinking, I know you're scared of the dark—"</p><p>"Hey—!" Peter exclaimed.</p><p>But Ned continued on as if he hadn't heard him. "—so I was just thinking, you have Finley in your room with you, right? So, if you could figure out how this guy managed to do it, you could turn him into a fish night light."</p><p>"A fish… night light?" Gwen said, confused. "Um… Ned, I'm not sure that—"</p><p>"I'm not gonna be injecting Finley with anything, Ned, okay?" Peter said. "And especially not some other animal's DNA. I'm not gonna create some mutant, glowing fish in my bedroom."</p><p>
  <em>My bedroom's already got one mutant. It doesn't need two.</em>
</p><p>Ned shrugged. "Okay, whatever. I just thought it seemed kinda interesting."</p><p>Peter sighed in relief as Ned finally turned to face the front of the bus, sticking in his AirPods. He did feel bad that Ned didn't have a special someone like he did, but at the same time, his third-wheeling was getting really annoying.</p><p>Peter was going to be available pretty much the entire summer while Gwen was gone, so all he was asking was to spend as much time with her as possible before she left.</p><p>That wasn't too much to ask, was it?</p><p>Leaning closer to Gwen, Peter reached for his phone in his back pocket. "How 'bout I take a picture of us, hmm?"</p><p>"On the bus?" Gwen asked, giggling. "Oh, Peter, that's so romantic."</p><p>"Well, yeah, I know it's not perfect or anything," Peter said, rather sheepishly. "But we probably won't be allowed to take pictures once we get there, so—"</p><p>"No, it's okay," Gwen said as she snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm ready."</p><p>"Say chess," Peter said as he snapped the picture, smiling widely as he lowered the phone. "Aww, it's actually not a bad picture."</p><p>"Of course it isn't, you're a good photographer," said Gwen. She reached for her backpack, pulling out her own phone. "Can you take one with mine now?"</p><p>"Oh, sure," Peter said. But before he could take it, his own buzzed in his hand with an incoming text.</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Master Peter, at the direction of Captain Rogers and Mr Stark, you and Ms Stacy are required to maintain presence at the entrance to the museum to wait for Chief Stacy. He will then transport you both back to the Tower to await further instructions.</strong> </em>
</p><p>"Who's that?" Gwen asked. "JARVIS?"</p><p>"Um… yeah, it's—it's JARVIS, but—" Peter cut off as he suddenly felt that odd sensation of ice cubes behind dumped down his shirt, causing him to shiver. He quickly turned to face the window, gasping as another freezing-cold bolt raced down his spine.</p><p>"Oh my <em>God!"</em> he rasped as he saw what appeared to be a massive circular-shaped spaceship hovering in the air over some buildings, about twenty or so blocks away.</p><p>It was the invasion. It had to be.</p><p>The Chitauri had finally returned.</p><p>And since the Tower's defence drones hadn't yet taken it out, hadn't even fired on it, from what Peter could tell, then they had obviously come prepared for the Avengers' defences.</p><p>"Oh my God!" Gwen said, thankfully not too loudly. "Peter, do you <em>see </em>that?"</p><p>"Yeah, I see it," said Peter. <em>Oh God, oh God, oh God.</em></p><p>
  <em>We're not ready. We're not ready for this.</em>
</p><p>Taking a quick glance around the bus, Peter noted that all of the other students seemed to be engrossed in whatever they were doing and hadn't yet noticed the spaceship. Since he'd worn one of his Spider-Man suits under his clothes in anticipation of the museum being freezing—what was it about museums and their overactive air conditioners anyway?—all he would need to do is create some kind of distraction inside the bus and he should be able to slip away unnoticed.</p><p>"Peter, what're you doing?" Gwen hissed as he pulled up the sleeves of his hoodie, activating his web shooters. "We're supposed to be meeting my dad at the museum!"</p><p>"Yeah, I know, but—" He huffed out a sharp breath, taking hold of Gwen's hands. "Look, this—this is gonna be huge, Gwen, okay? Bigger than the Battle of New York, so… my dads, they're gonna need my help. I need to go help them."</p><p>But Gwen only shook her head, gripping his hands. "Peter, I'm sure your dads already know exactly what to do, so—"</p><p>"No, they don't," Peter said grimly. And he wasn't just making that up. As far as he knew, none of Papa's plans included having to defend New York City from an intra-atmospheric spaceship.</p><p>Because, who would've thought?</p><p>"Peter, <em>please!"</em> Gwen begged, her beautiful green eyes filling with tears. "Please, don't do this!"</p><p>Peter's heart clenched as he reached for Gwen's face, brushing a tear from her cheek. "I'm sorry, Gwen, but I have to go. Once you find your dad, you guys head straight to the Tower, okay? Tell your mom to bring your brothers there too. You'll be much safer there."</p><p>Gwen sniffed, covering Peter's hand as she nodded. "Okay. But what about you?"</p><p>"I'm gonna be okay," Peter said firmly. "You don't need to worry about me."</p><p>"You say it like it's just that easy!" Gwen said on a gasp. "But, Peter, it's just <em>not!"</em></p><p>"No, I know it's not," he whispered. He leaned forward, pressing a firm kiss to her lips. "Gwen, I—I love you. I always have, I was just too afraid to say it out loud. But right now I need to go and help my dads, okay?"</p><p>Her lower lip shaking, Gwen finally nodded, pecking Peter's lips again. "I love you too," she whispered. "Please, be careful!"</p><p>"I will," Peter said, attempting a smile. Then he reached for the open bus window, trying to calculate if it was wide enough for him to slip through when Ned's head suddenly whipped around, his eyes going so wide that they nearly popped out of his head.</p><p>"Holy shit!" he exclaimed as he leapt to his feet, faster than Peter had ever seen him move before. "There's a spaceship! We're all gonna die!"</p><p>Chaos erupted on the bus, with all of the students scrambling from their seats to crowd in the back, clamoring to get a better look at the spaceship. Peter quickly seized the opportunity, launching a web at the emergency exit window across the aisle. With a final glance back at Gwen, he slipped out to cling to the side of the bus as he dug around behind his neck for his mask, pulling it up and over his head.</p><p>"Oh, Dad and Papa are gonna be so mad at me," he muttered as he pushed off from the bus, shooting his web towards the top of a passing bridge, his feet brushing through the water as he swung towards the spinning ship.</p><p>"Master Peter," JARVIS suddenly said as he swung towards the next building. "May I inquire as to what you are doing?"</p><p>"Dad and Papa are gonna need my help, JARVIS," Peter answered, grunting as he shot out another web. The cool <em>thwipping </em>noise that his webs made as they shot out was such a satisfying sound. "I'm pretty sure this is an all-hands-on-deck type of situation."</p><p>"That may be, but I highly doubt that Mr Stark and Captain Rogers would include you in such a category," said JARVIS. "In fact—"</p><p>"Override Hufflepuff sixteen," Peter said firmly, hmphing as he heard the telltale blip that indicated his override had taken hold. "Now, please, when Mrs Stacy arrives at the Tower with Gwen's brothers, please allow them access to the penthouse, okay? Tell the boys that they can play with my Legos while they're waiting."</p><p>"Very good, Master Peter," replied JARVIS. "And please, be careful."</p><p>"I will."</p><p>As he swung closer to the ship, which was hovering over a street littered with destroyed cars and small fires, the HUD in Peter's mask started to focus in on what appeared to be two aliens facing off against both of Peter's dads and three other men, two of which were holding something that looked like glowing golden shields in their hands.</p><p>"Uncle Bruce?" Peter said. "JARVIS, is that Uncle Bruce down there?"</p><p>"It is indeed, Master Peter," said JARVIS.</p><p>"But what's he doing here?" Peter asked as he swung even closer, squinting as he focused in on the street. "And where's Uncle Thor?"</p><p>"I am currently unaware of Thor's whereabouts," replied JARVIS.</p><p>"Okay, but, why isn't Uncle Bruce hulking out? And who're those guys with the glowy circle things on their hands?"</p><p>"Facial recognition confirms one of the men to be Dr Stephen Strange, former head of neurosurgery at New York Hospital."</p><p>"Um… but isn't he that one doctor that drove his car off a mountain?" Peter asked. He was only about a block away now, and still trying to wiggle out of his jeans after sending his hoodie and t-shirt flying a couple blocks back. "Oh my God, JARVIS, that one alien carrying the pickaxe thingy is humongous!"</p><p>"He is indeed, Master Peter," JARVIS said. "Please be advised, Captain Rogers has asked me to remind you that you are supposed to be returning to the Tower. Mr Wilson and Sergeant Barnes are currently in the process of coordinating with the rest of the team."</p><p>"Yeah, of course he did," grumbled Peter. "Can you patch me into the Avengers' comms, please?"</p><p>Peter heard another blip inside his mask just as Dad got suddenly launched across the destroyed street, bouncing inside a roundabout over a block away. Peter cried out as he slammed to a stop against a clump of trees, only for the massive alien to launch his hammer and grab onto him, hurling him back across the circle right at Uncle Bruce.</p><p>"Peter!" Papa cried as he grabbed hold of Dad's leg at the last second, preventing him from crashing into Uncle Bruce. "Peter, what're you doing here? You need to get back to the Tower!"</p><p>"No, Papa, I'm not gonna!" Peter stated, cringing as Dad flew back up, hitting the alien repeatedly with his repulsor blasts as Papa jumped forward, trying to take out the alien's hammer with his nanite shield. Peter knew that Papa had to be already off-kilter since his regular shield was probably in its usual spot back at the Tower. He could create a shield with the nanites in his suit, but he couldn't use it to attack since he couldn't throw it at anything.</p><p>"You guys need my help," he added, just as the alien smacked Papa square in the chin, sending him flying into the side of a building. Then he picked up Dad in his hand, tossing him off to the side as he wound up, preparing to throw his hammer.</p><p>"Dad!" Peter yelled as he dove down, landing in front of his father just in time to catch the alien's hammer before it would've pummelled him into the grass. His heart thudding, Peter poked his head around the hammerhead, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the alien. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size, ya big bully?"</p><p>"Goddamnit, Pete, what the hell are you doing here?" Dad shrieked as the alien growled, his clawed hand curling around Peter's body and sending him flying across the street into a fountain. "You're supposed to be back at the Tower!"</p><p>"Pretty sure we've got bigger things to worry about at the moment!" Peter said as he swung back across the street. "What's this guy's problem?"</p><p>"Ah, he's from space," Dad sputtered. "He came here to steal a necklace from a wizard."</p><p>"A wizard?" Peter exclaimed. "Did you and Papa actually meet a wizard today? Like, a real-life wizard?"</p><p>"Peter, I really don't think that's—" Papa started, just as the alien's hammer closed around Peter's body. Grimacing, Peter wiggled his arms down to his sides and pushed outwards, breaking the hammer's hold just in time to web onto half of a taxicab and send it hurtling down on top of the alien.</p><p>"Papa, are you okay?" Peter called as he landed on the debris-filled street. But he'd barely taken three steps towards his papa when the man JARVIS had identified as Dr Strange—who was for some reason wearing what looked like one of Uncle Thor's capes—went flying by, strapped to a large hunk of asphalt.</p><p>"And there goes the wizard," Dad said, like it was something he saw on a regular basis. "Steve?"</p><p>"We can't let them get that stone onto the ship, Tony!" Papa cried. "We have to keep it here!"</p><p>"I'll get him, Papa!" yelled Peter, taking off towards the second alien, who was flying through the air completely vertical. "That is such a not cool way to fly," he muttered under his breath, veering to dodge a billboard that came careening towards him. "The aerodynamics have to be horrible!"</p><p>"Oh God, Pete, be careful!" Dad yelled as the wizard passed underneath the spinning, circular ship. Peter quickly shot another web, managed to latch it onto his back just as a wide, bright blue beam shot down from the ship, pulling the unconscious wizard up towards it.</p><p>"Um… Dad?" Peter said, grabbing onto a crooked lamppost as he strained to hold onto the web. A second later the lamppost tore away from the ground, carrying Peter up towards the blue light. "Dad, I'm being beamed up!"</p><p>"Peter!" yelled Papa. "Oh God, Tony, you've gotta—!"</p><p>"It's okay, honey, I'll get him!" Dad said as the beam deposited Peter onto the side of the ship. "Pete, just hold on!"</p><p>"Uh, I don't think I have a choice," Peter said as the ship took off towards the sky, with the alien and the wizard both disappearing inside. "Oh, crap, this can't be good."</p><p>"Peter!" Papa shrieked, more panicked than Peter had ever heard him. There was nothing that Papa hated more than feeling helpless during a battle. "Hold on, little guy! Dad's coming!"</p><p>"Uh huh!" Peter said as he continued his climb up the side of the spinning ship, desperately searching for another door to get inside. His head was already starting to swim, his lungs contracting as they struggled to breathe in the rapidly thinning air. Hypoxia was only seconds away, and if he fell…</p><p>"Pete, you gotta let go!" Dad's terrified voice cried into his ear. "Buddy, I promise I'm gonna catch you!"</p><p><em>Does Dad's nanite suit really have a rocket booster?</em> Peter thought. <em>That's so awesome!</em></p><p>"Peter, please, little guy, just hold on, okay?" Papa yelled again. "Dad's gonna get you!"</p><p>"But—but, you guys told me to get the wizard!" Peter wheezed, blinking as the ship flew through a huge, puffy cloud. His lungs felt like two massive blocks of ice in his chest, his throat so tight he could barely speak. "Daddy, I can't—I can't breathe!"</p><p>"JARVIS, launch Pete's nanite suit from the Compound!" he heard Dad say, sounding like he was under water.</p><p>
  <em>How thick are these clouds?</em>
</p><p>"Dad, I really don't think that now's the time to be going swimming…" Peter muttered. His frozen fingers were still clutching the ship, his arm shaking as he tried to rip the mask from his face. "I can't—I can't—I need to breathe!"</p><p>"You're too high up, buddy!" Dad said. "You're running out of air!"</p><p>"Oh," Peter whispered. "Yeah, that makes sense." <em>I'm too… high… up… so… there's...not… enough… air…</em></p><p>
  <em>But, where'm I gonna find air all the way up here?</em>
</p><p>"Peter!" Papa screamed as Peter felt his eyes roll back into his head, his frozen hands slipping from their hold on the ship as all the remaining air in his lungs dissipated in one fell swoop, and everything went dark.</p><p>"Ow!" Peter yelped as he came to, bouncing hard onto the edge of the ship as the sensation of being immersed in warm water flooded his body. He looked down at his chest, blinking as he recognised the cool Spider-Man emblem from his nanite suit.</p><p>"Goddamnit, buddy, you're not supposed to be here!" Dad exclaimed as he flew up next to Peter. "You just scared the hell outta both of us!"</p><p>Peter scowled. "I was just trying to help," he said, far too petulantly. "Seemed like you guys needed it."</p><p>"Yeah, we can talk more about that later," Dad cut in. "JARVIS, get him the hell home!"</p><p>"With pleasure, sir," answered JARVIS. And before Peter realised what was happening, a parachute suddenly deployed from his back, yanking him clear from the ship.</p><p>"Oh, come on!" he cried. Throwing out his arm, Peter blindly shot out his web, barely managing to catch the very edge of the spaceship. Grunting, he pulled himself back up to the ship, managing to find what appeared to be a panel that led into an inner level. Dad was nowhere to be seen, and neither were the wizard or alien.</p><p>"JARVIS?" he asked. "Did Dad already go inside the ship?"</p><p>"He did indeed, Master Peter. However, I must protest at this course of action. Captain Rogers and Mr Stark's instructions were clear that you were to—"</p><p>"Oh no!" Peter yelped as the panel began to close behind him. "Um, I don't think I have a choice anymore."</p><p>And he didn't. Because no sooner had he climbed inside, the ship hit the edge of Earth's atmosphere. He had reached the point of no return.</p><p>Like it or not, Peter was going to space.</p><p>
  <em>Maybe I should've stayed on the bus.</em>
</p><hr/><p>"Tony!" Steve screamed, his throat raw from all the dust and debris and yelling after his husband and son. His heart was thudding so hard it felt like it was going to shatter as he scanned the sky, clutching his chest.</p><p>If he hadn't had his suit with him… if Tony hadn't had his suit with him…</p><p>"No!" he said sharply. He couldn't do that. Not now, not while—</p><p>"Tony, are you there?" he pleaded as his nanite cowl disappeared, pressing his fingers over his ear. "Tony, please come in!"</p><p>"I'm here, honey!" Tony finally said. "But… I'm afraid you're not gonna like where I'm headed."</p><p>Steve gasped as his belly gave a violent swoop. "Are you—oh God, Tony, are you on the ship?"</p><p>"Ah, yep," answered Tony, his voice shaking ever-so-slightly. "And unless I manage to find the steering wheel in the next six seconds or so, I'm thinking I'm gonna be here awhile."</p><p>A choked noise escaped Steve's throat, and he looked over at Bruce, who simply shrugged.</p><p>"And—and Peter?" Steve asked as tears welled in his eyes. "Were you able to—"</p><p>"Pete should be on his way back to the Tower, honey," Tony said. "But I—I think—"</p><p>"Tony?" Steve cried as the transmission began to skip. "Sweetheart, please, be careful! I love—!"</p><p>But his final word was lost in a burst of static, one so loud that Steve flinched. He squeezed his eyes closed, breathing in deeply through his nose. He couldn't afford to lose control now.</p><p>Tony was brilliant, one of the smartest people in the world. If anyone could figure out how to fly an alien spaceship, it was him. Especially since he'd already figured out how to fix one.</p><p>And the battle wasn't over yet. It had only been paused.</p><p>Raising his head, he pressed his fingers to his ear again. "Peter? Little guy, are you there?"</p><p>When no response came, he tried again. "Peter? Little guy, if you can hear me, please respond!"</p><p>There was nothing but silence.</p><p>"JARVIS!" Steve said, his heart in his throat. "JARVIS, where's Peter?"</p><p>"I'm afraid I am no longer registering Master Peter's location, Captain," JARVIS said softly.</p><p>"What? You—you mean, he's not at the Tower?"</p><p>"No, Captain," answered JARVIS. "Master Peter's parachute deployed, but it was then released only two point four-five seconds later. It is my understanding that he went aboard the ship as it exited Earth's atmosphere."</p><p>"Oh my God," Steve whispered, dropping his head. "No, no, no, this can't be happening. This can't be happening!"</p><p>Both his husband and son gone in one fell swoop… and he was just standing there helpless. Again.</p><p>Just like he'd been in Miami.</p><p><em>But Peter's with Tony, </em>he tried to tell himself. <em>He'll be safe if he's with Tony.</em></p><p>
  <em>Oh God, please, keep them safe! Bring them back to me!</em>
</p><p>"Steve," Bruce suddenly said, startling him. "Steve, I'm really sorry, I know you're upset right now, but we've gotta get moving. This isn't over, and we—"</p><p>"What happened out there?" Steve yelped as he grabbed onto Bruce's shoulders, gritting his teeth. "This was a Code Green if I ever saw one, so where was Hulk? We needed him, Bruce! So where was he?"</p><p>"I don't know, Steve," Bruce said, his voice shaking. "I tried, but… he just… wouldn't come out."</p><p>Steve scoffed, releasing Bruce so harshly that he stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over a piece of a fender that had broken off a car. He bent over, his palms on his knees as he tried to force his muddled brain to work.</p><p>None of his provisional battle plans had ever included the possibility of Tony—or Peter—going off into space. Not a single one.</p><p>And now, he literally had no idea what to do.</p><p>"Cap," Sam said as he came over the comms. "Cap, do you read?"</p><p>"Yeah," Steve croaked. "Go—go ahead, Sam."</p><p>"Colonel Rhodes is on standby in D.C., and Nat, Clint, and the twins just arrived at the Tower, along with Gwen Stacy and her family. What should I tell them?"</p><p>"Um… um…" he stuttered, giving his head a quick shake. Even with Tony gone, he was still Captain America, still the leader of the Avengers.</p><p>Which meant that he had to get a hold of himself, and lead.</p><p>"Put the Stacys up in one of the spare apartments," he finally said. "Have JARVIS order in some food and other amenities for them, they might be there awhile."</p><p>"All right," said Sam. "And the rest of us?"</p><p>Steve swallowed hard as he glanced over at Bruce, who gave him a nod.</p><p>"Suit up," he said. "We're heading to Wakanda."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment!  💖 </p><p>Emoji Key for those who don't know what to say in the comments!<br/>❤ = you wish you could kudos again<br/>😭 = I got you right in the feels<br/>🔥 = this was so hot/ sweet!<br/>🐰 = it’s so fluffy!<br/>😣 = the angst is killing me!</p><p>Next week’s chapter will post on Wednesday, November 25th, as both this week and next week are going to be extra busy at my house.</p><p>Thank you all so much for reading!  💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers!  I hope your holiday is safe and wonderful!  💖</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Steve leaned back against the bench seat in the back of the Quinjet, his shield tucked next to his feet as he slowly breathed in and out, trying to find some semblance of calm. Ever since Tony's last aborted transmission from the spaceship, Steve had felt like he was standing on the very edge of a cliff, trying desperately to keep his balance even as his foot was slipping ever-so-slowly over, sending dirt and pebbles bouncing down the bottomless chasm.</p><p>After securing the Stacys inside the Tower and collecting all of their gear, including Tony's Veronica armour, the team had made a quick stop in D.C. to pick up James and then taken off for Wakanda. King T'Challa had promised Steve the full use of his warriors for the presumed battle that lay ahead, for which Steve was both grateful and relieved.</p><p>Because if the skirmish outside of Dr Strange's Sanctum had been any indication of what was coming, the Avengers were going to need all the help they could get.</p><p>Lifting his head, Steve glanced around the jet. The twins were sitting with Natasha and Clint on two of the middle benches, their heads tucked together as they softly talked, while Sam and James were manning the cockpit, each taking two hour shifts on the controls to help ensure they would both be as fresh as possible once they landed in Wakanda.</p><p>And Bruce, in typical Bruce fashion, was sitting curled up on the floor, wrapped in a blanket as he listened to the opera he'd always favoured to help calm him after hulking out.</p><p>Or, in this case, after watching one of his best friends get killed by Thanos, along with his brother. Steve had once thought it impossible that he could ever feel any sympathy for Loki after what he'd done during the Battle of New York, but from what Bruce had described, both his and Thor's ends had been brutal.</p><p>Likely the same fate that awaited anyone who dared to challenge Thanos and lose.</p><p><em>Which is why we can't lose, </em>Steve thought firmly, wishing with everything in him that he believed it.</p><p>
  <em>We can't lose. There's just too much at stake.</em>
</p><p>In his hand, Steve held his tiny sketchbook, flipped open to the drawing of Tony and Peter cuddled up on the couch in the Malibu house. He bit down on his bottom lip as he carefully traced the outline of Peter's round cheek, tears welling in his eyes as he recalled the moment that the sketch had captured. So soon after their return from Afghanistan and trying to deny his growing feelings, Steve had been almost overwhelmed with affection for the two of them in that moment, with Peter's head resting on Tony's chest and Tony's arms tightly around him, as though he had feared that even in sleep, his precious boy would somehow be snatched away from him.</p><p>It was something that Steve now understood all too well. His fear that he would somehow lose the husband or son that he loved beyond reason had never been more profound than it had been down in that Miami hospital, when he kept vigil over them both for weeks as they fought for their lives.</p><p>But even then, during that awful time of uncertainty, Steve had still been able to see them, to talk to them and touch them and hold their hands, even when they couldn't respond. Steve had always been a very tactile person; one of the many reasons why he was always so affectionate with his beloved boys. He craved the way Tony's strong body moulded into his, the feel of the bare skin of Tony's back against his chest and the scratch of his facial hair as he held him at night, and the touch of his lips against his. And with Peter, Steve never passed up an opportunity to give him one of his papa-bear hugs, to ruffle his downy-soft hair or clap a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>Now, though, they were gone, somewhere out in the vastness of space. And all he had left was their picture.</p><p>If only his arms had been strong enough to hold onto them.</p><p><em>They're okay, </em>he thought, almost defiantly. <em>They're gonna be okay. Peter's with Tony. They'll look out for each other.</em></p><p>
  <em>They'll be okay.</em>
</p><p>Steve simply had to assume that they were okay. Otherwise, there would be no way he'd be able to lead the team through what they'd likely be facing once they arrived in Wakanda.</p><p><em>But our team's not our team without Tony, </em>his traitorous mind said, sending a wave of such overwhelming anguish through his body that he gasped, drawing the attention of Bucky sitting on the bench across from him.</p><p>"Стиви? You okay?" he asked, then immediately scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Hold on, that was a stupid-ass question. Are you gonna be okay enough to handle this?"</p><p>Steve's shoulders sagged, his chin dropping to his chest as his fingers curled around the sketchbook. During the war, he'd managed to lead the Howling Commandos to a final victory over the Red Skull after he had thought Bucky was dead. Even as he had blamed himself for it.</p><p>At the time, Steve had believed that he'd lost the love of his life. And yet, somehow, he had still managed to stamp down his grief long enough to rise to the task that had been laid out in front of him.</p><p>And this, as painful as it was, had to be no different. His personal feelings had absolutely no impact on their current problem, and therefore had to be pushed aside, as much as humanly possible. Even with the backing of King T'Challa's warriors, the Avengers were the last, best hope that Earth had against Thanos and his Chitauri army, so he needed to step up and be the leader the team needed him to be.</p><p>
  <em>But… how? How can I do that if I don't know if they're even still—</em>
</p><p>He gasped again, shaking his head. He couldn't go there. He just couldn't allow himself to spiral down that far, where he might not be able to recover.</p><p>If Tony could manage to build something strong enough to fight his way out of a fully armoured cave in Afghanistan with a dying Peter in tow, then he could surely figure out how to fight his way off of a spaceship with a Peter that was just as powerful—or even more so—than Steve.</p><p>Steve just had to trust Tony. Which he did, implicitly. Then he had to come up with a new plan for the impending battle in Wakanda that didn't include him.</p><p>
  <em>Or at least, not yet.</em>
</p><p>"I have to be, Buck," he finally whispered. "I don't—I don't have a choice."</p><p>"Yeah, you do though," Bucky said firmly. "You always have a choice, Стиви. If you wanted to, you could go up to that cockpit right now and order Сэм to land this thing somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and then disappear. You could choose to walk away from all of this and become some kind of wandering nomad for the rest of your life. You could choose to do that, Стив, but you won't. And you know why?"</p><p>Almost against his will, Steve's lips curled into a slight smile. "Why?"</p><p>"Because the Стиви I know would never back down from a fight, no matter how steep the odds," Bucky said firmly. "Even if they seem insurmountable."</p><p>A knot rose in Steve's throat. He had certainly seen his share of seemingly insurmountable odds over the course of his ninety-five—or was it thirty-one?—years. Born to a recently widowed mother, sickly from birth to the point where doctors warned his ma that he'd be dead before he was thirty, and then orphaned at eighteen, Steve had gotten used to overcoming odds by the time he was finally accepted into the Army.</p><p>And then, after surviving for over sixty years frozen in the Arctic ice, he'd managed to find Tony and Peter in the middle of that Afghanistan desert using the same wits and instincts that he'd used to bring down HYDRA during the war, a feat that not even the very Army he'd thought he'd given his life for had deemed possible.</p><p>After all of that, falling in love with Tony and adopting Peter had seemed almost too good to be true. A reward, perhaps, for overcoming all of his previously un-overcomable odds, one that paid dividends every single hour of every single day.</p><p>And the thought that he might never see them again, it was—it was—</p><p><em>No!</em> Steve screamed inside his head.</p><p>He couldn't afford to think like that.</p><p>"I'm afraid these odds seem pretty insurmountable, Buck," he said quietly. "But that doesn't mean I'm going down without a fight."</p><p>Bucky smiled as he leaned back against the bench. "That's better," he said, patting the brand-new sniper rifle that Tony had recently finished building for him. "So, what's the plan?"</p><hr/><p>Tony's jaw was tightly clenched as he crept along the side of the massive spaceship, trying to make heads or tails of its design. The inner circle was still spinning, as he could sense the vibrations through his armoured feet, which likely meant that it was tied into both the ship's artificial gravity and the life support system.</p><p>Which also meant he probably shouldn't mess with it.</p><p>"Interior could sure use a paint job or something," Tony muttered as he took another step, carefully to keep his foot from clanking against the metal floor. Tony had never been a fan of that dull, charcoal grey colour, as he'd always thought it too industrial-looking. In fact, he was fairly certain that he and Peter had even discussed that very topic a few times, coming to the conclusion that if they were ever to build a spaceship, they would paint the interior something cool, like bright blue.</p><p><em>Or Iron Man red, </em>Tony thought, smirking slightly. <em>That has a nice, catchy ring to it.</em></p><p>Too bad JARVIS was offline, or Tony might've had him try and catalogue the design for future reference.</p><p>The realisation that JARVIS was offline—and the reason for it—suddenly hit Tony, and he paused his steps, trying to stamp down the uneasiness bubbling up from his gut. The ship had passed through the atmospheric barrier in the middle of his last conversation with Steve, before he could verify that Peter had safely returned to the Tower, and while he knew without a doubt that Steve would ensure Peter was safe before he and the team left for Wakanda, Tony couldn't help but worry about leaving Peter alone in the city with only George Stacy and the drones to guard him.</p><p>He couldn't afford to worry about that now, though. Peter was strong, despite Tony's uncanny ability to forget that particular fact, and clever enough to help defend himself if the need would so arise. Tony just had to trust in his son, and try to focus on the task at hand.</p><p>Which, as far as he knew, meant getting the Time Stone—and the wizard attached to it, he supposed—back to Earth as soon as possible. Steve had wanted both stones in Wakanda so as to keep the fighting on only one front, and Tony had every intention of following through with that plan.</p><p>"All right then, Mr Strange Wizard," Tony said under his breath. "Where the hell are you?"</p><p>As he continued his search, Tony's mind buzzed with details, as well as various offshoots of potential problems that might arise. It was a testimony to how much Steve had managed to influence him over their years together that Tony was trying to even come up with a plan, instead of simply winging it like he'd done on all of his initial missions as Iron Man.</p><p>It also made sense that the Time Stone would be particularly important to protect, since it could literally turn back time—<em>hold on, isn't that a song?</em>—and therefore potentially reverse anything the keeper of the stone wished to reverse.</p><p>No wonder the damn wizard wanted to keep a tight hold on it.</p><p>"But how the hell does a cocky-as-hell surgeon survive an accident that should've killed him and somehow come out of it a wizard?" Tony wondered as he approached what appeared to be a platform suspended about two stories up from the bowels of the ship. The last thing he'd heard about Dr Strange was that the injured doctor had sold all of his possessions and fled to East Asia, probably in search of the cure that had eluded him in Western medicine.</p><p>And somehow, he came back to New York as a wizard.</p><p>
  <em>Well, I guess I've seen weirder things.</em>
</p><p>Shaking his head, Tony crept closer to the platform. He could see Strange suspended in mid-air about one story down, surrounded by long silvery spikes. The goofy Squidward alien was standing in front of him, his hands clasped as he droned on and on about pleasing his master, or some other such nonsense.</p><p><em>What is it about villains and their intense need to monologue?</em> Tony thought, rolling his eyes as he peeked over the edge of the platform. He was busily studying the shimmering spikes when he suddenly felt something odd tap him on the shoulder. Whipping around, Tony raised his repulsor to find the wizard's long maroon cloak hovering in midair, almost like it was awaiting orders or something.</p><p>
  <em>Is that thing… sentient?</em>
</p><p>"Uhh, what the hell?" Tony said as he slowly lowered his hand. "You're one seriously loyal piece of outerwear, aren't you?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah," another voice suddenly said, one that caused Tony's heart to jump into his throat as Peter—his very own Peter—came into view, dangling upside-down from the top of the ship. "And speaking of loyalty…"</p><p>"What the—?" Tony gasped, completely stunned as Peter—<em>his Peter!</em>—executed a perfect flip off the web rope, landing gracefully about a metre away. For several heartbeats, Tony could only stare at him, certain that he had to be hallucinating or something because Peter—<em>his Peter!</em>—certainly wouldn't have chosen to completely disobey his dads by refusing to return home during an alien invasion.</p><p>Right?</p><p>"Now, I know what you're gonna say," Peter said as his nanotech helmet disappeared, revealing his messy mop of curls. "But I just—"</p><p>"You should <em>not </em>be here!" Tony snapped, finally finding his voice. "Buddy, I sent you <em>home!</em> Holy shit, Pete, don't you realise how worried Papa's gonna be now?"</p><p>Peter cringed.</p><p>"Well, I was gonna go home—"</p><p>"You know what? I don't wanna hear it!" Tony stated, his hands clenching into tight fists. "But I swear to you, <em>child</em>, once we get home, you are going to be grounded until you're at least eighteen! And maybe even longer!"</p><p>"But, Dad, will you please just listen to me!" cried Peter. "I was gonna go home, but then I thought about you and then I just kinda stuck to the side of the ship!"</p><p>Tony huffed. "That's 'cause your suit learns and adapts from your thoughts, Pete! It's nanotechnology! Listening to thought commands is one of its perks!"</p><p>"Well, yeah, I know that," muttered Peter. "And mine works great, by the way, so if you think about it, it's kinda your fault that I'm here."</p><p>"What did you just say?" Tony demanded, his blood pressure spiking. "'Cause it damn well better not be what I think I just heard!"</p><p>Peter let out a heavy sigh, his puppy-dog eyes blazing in such full force that a knot rose in Tony's throat. "Look, I'm—I'm sorry, Dad, but I just didn't want you to be all alone up here. I mean, you're mainly here anyway because of me, so…"</p><p>"Godddamnit," Tony whispered. He had never been great at staying angry at Peter, and this apparently was no exception. Shaking his head, he stepped forward, placing both hands on his son's shoulders and vaguely aware that the maroon cloak was still following him around like a lost puppy. "Good grief, buddy. Don't you think for one second that I blame you for any of this. But you were supposed to go home, not follow me here, and now there's no way to let Papa know that you're okay."</p><p>Peter winced, shifting on his feet. "Yeah, I know, but—"</p><p>"And this isn't just another weekend training session or a fight against some HYDRA fire-zombie," Tony continued. "We're on a ship, Pete! One that's heading for who-knows-where! This could very well be a one-way ticket, and neither Papa nor I would've wanted this for you!"</p><p>Peter gulped, his brown eyes going even wider. "Well… then we'll have to make sure that doesn't happen, right?"</p><p>"Yeah, but there should be no 'we' in this equation, Pete!" Tony said as he drew Peter closer, burying his nose into his curls. "We were trying to keep you <em>safe,</em> and now—"</p><p>He was cut off by a bloodcurdling, anguished scream coming from below, and he squeezed his eyes closed, hugging Peter so hard that he grunted. After Afghanistan, Tony understood the sounds of torture all too well.</p><p>"All right," Tony said as he inhaled a deep, shaky breath, patting Peter's back. "As you've probably figured out by now, we've got a situation down there. Can you think of a plan?"</p><p>With a shaky nod, Peter pursed his lips as he peeked over the edge of the platform, the cloak imitating his every movement. Tony could hear him muttering to himself as he took in the scene, thinking almost against his will of how proud Steve would be if he could see him.</p><p>
  <em>Like papa, like son.</em>
</p><p>"Okay, okay, um…" Peter said as he stood back up a couple seconds later. "You remember the movie <em>Aliens</em>, right? We just watched it with Uncle Sam and Uncle Bucky a few weeks ago?"</p><p>Tony tilted his head, frowning. "Pete, there's only about a zillion different alien movies that you love, so pardon me if I'm not quite sure which one it is you're talking about?"</p><p>"Okay, how 'bout, the one where they blast a hole in the side of the ship and the huge, mean alien thingy gets blown out into space?" Peter said. "Sound familiar?"</p><p>"Oh, that one," said Tony. He thought for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. Mostly the cons, since they were pretty darn conny. "Well… that's not actually such a bad idea as long as you think you can catch Strange before he gets blown out too."</p><p>"Oh, I definitely can," Peter said proudly. "In fact, Pietro and I were working on a new training algorithm that was gonna use some of these—"</p><p>"Pete?" Tony cut in.</p><p>"Uh huh?"</p><p>"Let's try and focus here, yeah? Wizard? Down there? <em>Aliens?</em>"</p><p>Peter gave a nod as his mask closed over his face. "Yeah. Okay."</p><p>As silently as they could, they tiptoed closer to where Strange was suspended, the long, silvery spikes now sticking out all over his head and body. The alien had his back to Tony, still monologuing in that skin-crawling, soft-ass voice that reminded him way, <em>way</em> too much of Obie when Tony noticed Strange's eyes flick up, locking onto his.</p><p>"Any of these could end your friend's life in an instant," said the alien as he turned to look at Tony, his Voldemort-like face twisting in anger as Tony armed his repulsors.</p><p>"Yeah, 'cept he's not my friend," Tony stated. "Saving his life is more of a professional courtesy." <em>And one that he didn't see fit to offer first.</em></p><p>The alien scowled as he raised his arms, causing two large hunks of metal to detach from the walls of the ship. "You've saved nothing," he taunted. "Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine."</p><p>Tony shrugged. "Yeah, maybe. But I betcha my kid's seen more movies." Arming one of his shoulder missiles, Tony launched it through the ship's hull, the resulting vacuum blowing both the alien and the hunks of metal out into space. Less than a second later, Strange was yanked from his suspension as Peter leaped forward, launching his web at Strange's back just in time to keep him from disappearing into the nothingness. Tony immediately flew towards them, preparing to seal the hole as the new iron spider legs he'd built into Peter's suit activated, bracing him against the ship's hull so he could pull Strange back inside.</p><p>"Yes!" Peter cried triumphantly as his head whipped from side to side. "Wait! What are those?"</p><p>"Pete, just get him inside!" Tony yelled as Peter pushed backwards, landing onto the hard floor with Strange still in tow. Tony quickly sealed the hole closed, collapsing onto the floor next to Peter once it was done.</p><p>"Goddamnit, Pete!" he said, panting as his helmet disappeared. "That was way too close!"</p><p>"Eh, kinda. But at least it worked," Peter said. He pushed himself back up to his feet, offering Tony a hand. "Dad, did you really give me spider legs? They're so cool!"</p><p>"Yeah, I'm glad you think so," muttered Tony. He frowned as Strange picked himself up and set off down the corridor without so much as a glance back, the maroon cloak wrapping itself around his neck as he stomped away.</p><p>"Um, excuse me, Mr Wizard, but where the hell do you think you're going?" Tony demanded as he took off after him.</p><p>"We need to turn the ship around," Strange shot over his shoulder. "Right now."</p><p>"Oh, sure, now you wanna run," grumbled Tony. He tapped the container on his chest to deactivate his suit. "You haven't even had the decency to thank us yet."</p><p>"I didn't ask you to save me," Strange said. "Neither you nor this… circus clown that you've brought along."</p><p>Tony's eyes narrowed as he swerved to get in front of the rude-as-hell doctor. "Circus clown?" he said through clenched teeth. "That's my son, you ungrateful son of a bitch! And since he just saved your magical ass, how about showing him a little goddamn appreciation!"</p><p>Strange's head snapped back in surprise. "Your son?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at Peter. "What the hell is he doing here?"</p><p>"Well, that seems to be the million-dollar question, doesn't it?" Tony retorted, frowning. "But that still doesn't give you permission to insult him."</p><p>"But—but, <em>how?" </em>sputtered Strange, still staring at Peter in fascination. "Does this have anything to do with his coma?"</p><p>"Oh, so now you wanna get all doctor-y on him?" Tony asked. "Well, too late, Strange, you don't get to hear his little secret. Just suffice it to say that he's a helluva lot stronger than he looks <em>and</em> he's even smarter than me, so you'd do well to show him some respect."</p><p>"Dad, it's okay," said Peter. He held out his hand, stepping towards Strange. "My name's Peter, by the way."</p><p>"Doctor Strange," Strange replied curtly.</p><p>Peter's eyebrows shot up under his hair. "Oh, you're using your made-up name? Then I am Spider-Man."</p><p>"All right, Pete, that's enough," warned Tony. "We don't need to be going into any more detail on it when we've still got to figure out how we're gonna get back to Earth."</p><p>"Yeah, okay," Peter said. "Um… so, how're we gonna get back to Earth?"</p><p>"Well, I don't know," Tony said, turning to Strange. "You couldn't do one of those fancy-schmancy circle things and get us back to Earth, could ya?"</p><p>Strange practically sneered, only raising Tony's blood pressure more. "If we weren't moving at approximately two hundred times the speed of light, then yes, I could. But the amount of force required to connect the portal is too high to maintain it long enough to safely make it through."</p><p>"Whoa!" Peter exclaimed. "You really think we're travelling at Warp Six right now?"</p><p>"Pete, we don't need all the nerdy details," Tony said quickly. "So, Strange, you're telling me that you can't?"</p><p>"I believe that's what I just said," answered Strange.</p><p>"Yeah, whatever," Tony mumbled, briefly squeezing his eyes closed. He was starting to panic again, and now was really <em>not </em>the time for it. "Pete, you think you could help me figure out how to turn the ship around?"</p><p>Peter grimaced, glancing sheepishly at Strange. "Well, if what Dr Strange just said is true about how fast we're going, then we'd first have to figure out how to drop out of warp. We can't make course corrections while we're at warp speed, Dad."</p><p><em>Jesus fucking Christ, </em>Tony thought as he breathed in, trying to contain his patience. "Yeah, okay, but we're not in an episode of Star Trek, Pete. This is actually happening, so I really don't think that—"</p><p>"Yeah, I know, but the science still applies, Dad," Peter cut in. "The writers of Star Trek consulted with some of the top scientists from around the world, and they all agreed that you can't make course corrections at warp. It would tear the ship apart."</p><p>"Goddamnit," muttered Tony as he turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose. As much as he hated to admit it, the kid was probably right. Back when he was designing rockets he always had to consider that the velocity the rocket was travelling would inversely impact its manoeuvrability, and while out in space wind shear wasn't a thing, there was still the whole "folding of space" and "warp corridor" things that were at the very core of warp theory.</p><p>And it was probably not a good idea to try and mess with those factors in the heat of the moment. Or try and rewrite warp theory to better suit his purposes.</p><p>"So, then, what it sounds like you need to do is figure out how to slow the ship down," said Strange. "And I suggest that you get started immediately."</p><p>"Oh, you do, do you?" barked Tony. "And what're you gonna do, just sit around on your ass and watch while we work?"</p><p>Strange scoffed, taking one slow step towards Tony. "I doubt you'd want my help if I offered it."</p><p>"Whoa, whoa, hold on," Peter said as he stepped between Tony and Strange. "All right, can you guys just step back here a bit, please? 'Cause this bickering's not getting us anywhere."</p><p>"As long as Iron Man here can acknowledge that under no circumstance can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos," Strange said in a low voice.</p><p>"Okay, for one, his name is Mr Stark to you, Doctor," Peter said firmly. "And two, I'm pretty sure we're all in agreement on that one, so it's not really worth repeating. My papa wanted the Time Stone brought to Wakanda, so that's where we should bring it."</p><p>"And it's not like I need reminding about how awful Thanos is," stated Tony. "Not when he's been inside my head ever since the Battle of New York! But, on that note, the ship has already self-corrected its course from the hull breach, which must mean it's on autopilot."</p><p>"Okay, that makes sense," said Peter. "But where's it heading?"</p><p>"Well, it's probably safe to assume that the alien dude was supposed to deliver the Time Stone to his boss, don't ya think?" Tony asked. He pressed his palm to his chest, tracing the outline of Steve's dog tags with his fingertip. "Which means we're probably aiming towards Thanos right now."</p><p>"Which means we'd better get the hell moving," said Peter.</p><p>"I concur," said Strange. "We're getting short on time."</p><p>"Oh, really?" Tony snapped as he turned his back on the insufferable doctor/wizard, heading to what he assumed was the bridge. "And you don't happen to find that the least bit ironic, considering that goddamn rock you're wearing around your neck?"</p><p>"Was that supposed to be a joke?" asked Strange, his footsteps clanking against the floor as he followed.</p><p>"Um… he likes to joke when he's nervous, Doctor," Peter said. "It helps if you don't take it personally."</p><p>"Not now, Pete," Tony said. He stopped as he arrived at what appeared to be the massive steering contraption, shooting Peter a side-eye. "Let's just figure this out, yeah?"</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter said with a nod, causing Tony's heart to lurch. His sweet boy was trying hard to put on a brave face, but Tony could read him well enough to know that he was just as terrified as Tony.</p><p>And also likely just as terrified as Steve, since he had no way of knowing where they were or if they were even still alive.</p><p>"<em>We're okay, honey," </em>Tony thought as he and Peter attempted to decipher the various instruments and readouts.</p><p>
  <em>So far.</em>
</p><hr/><p>The beginning of the Quinjet's descent into Wakanda startled Steve out of his semi-doze, and he looked up to find Natasha gently prodding awake a sleeping Wanda, whispering into her ear as she yawned and rubbed her eyes. She shot Steve a sympathetic smile as she then gently poked Pietro in the side, whispering for him to wake Clint, who was sprawled out across most of their shared couch.</p><p>"Looks like we're here, Стив," Bucky said softly as he gathered up his rifle and secondary sidearms. "You ready?"</p><p>"As I'll ever be," answered Steve. Returning his sketchbook to its secret pocket, he grabbed hold of his cowl and shield and got to his feet, squaring his shoulders as Sam cut the jet's engines and lowered the ramp. King T'Challa was waiting in the same place as he'd been during their last visit, flanked by his guards with his hands clasped in front of him.</p><p>"So, uh, should we bow?" Steve heard Bruce ask James as he stepped onto the ramp, with Natasha a half-step behind.</p><p>"Well, yeah," answered James. "He's a king."</p><p>"Your Highness," Steve said as he offered T'Challa his hand. T'Challa smirked slightly as he took it, watching as Bruce offered him a deep bow about a metre back.</p><p>"Um, we don't do that here, Dr Banner," he said.</p><p>"Really?" Bruce hissed at James, who only chuckled.</p><p>"So, Bruce, why don't you tell King T'Challa what we can expect, hmm?" Steve said.</p><p>"Uhh, sure," Bruce said, clearing his throat. "Your Highness, based on what I saw, I think we can expect quite a big assault. Thanos is the most powerful creature in the universe, and if the size of the ship that he attacked us with is any indication, his army is massive."</p><p>"I would concur, Your Highness, based on what we saw in New York," added Steve. "I think we're gonna be in for quite a fight."</p><p>T'Challa nodded, jerking his head towards General Okoye. "Then Thanos shall have it. We have my King's Guard, the Border Tribe, and my Dora Milaje. I believe that together with your team, Captain, we shall emerge victorious."</p><p>Steve's heart gave a painful lurch. "Um, with all due respect, Your Highness, as you may have noticed, our team is not currently complete. One of Thanos' minions managed to take both my husband and my son prisoner aboard one of his smaller ships, so I don't believe that we should underestimate what we're about to face. Based on what Bruce has told us, Thanos will not rest until the Soul Stone is his."</p><p>"Yes, and he won't hesitate to rip Wakanda to shreds while he's searching for it," Bruce said, sighing heavily. "Your Highness, are you absolutely certain that there's no way the stone could be moved? Or—or destroyed?"</p><p>"There is no safer place for the stone besides Wakanda," T'Challa said firmly. "And I also do not believe it would be possible to destroy it."</p><p>"Well, we might beg to differ on that one," Clint piped up from behind Natasha, placing his hand on Wanda's shoulder. "Wanda here is pretty damn powerful, and I bet if she put her mind to it, she could at least put a couple of dents in the thing."</p><p>"Which could potentially be enough to deactivate it," added Natasha.</p><p>"Perhaps," said General Okoye. "But you are referring to an object that is absolutely sacred to our people. An object that under no circumstances would we want to see damaged."</p><p>"Which we completely understand," said Steve. "I promise that we do. But please, Your Highness, I implore you. There are potentially billions of lives at stake here, and if it comes down to saving those lives or saving the stone, well… I don't personally see that as much of a choice."</p><p>T'Challa's eyes narrowed. "Then we had better hope it does not come down to that, Captain."</p><p>Before Steve could reply, an alarm began to sound overhead. Steve gulped as General Okoye pressed a bead attached to a bracelet around her wrist, generating a holographic image of Earth in her palm.</p><p>"Something's entered the atmosphere," she said grimly. "I'm reading multiple incoming projectiles."</p><p>"Damn," muttered Clint. "This guy works fast."</p><p>"Cap, I think we've got a situation here," Sam said, pointing to the sky. "Look!"</p><p>Steve's heart began to thud as he looked up and saw an incoming projectile aiming directly for the palace. About three seconds later it crashed into the same protective shield they had just flown through, sending bits of flaming debris shooting in all directions.</p><p>"James, Sam, check it out!" Steve commanded.</p><p>"Copy that," replied Sam as James immediately ran for the jet, blasting back out a few seconds later in his brand-new War Machine armour.</p><p>"There's more incoming outside the dome!" he called from about fifty metres up, pointing towards the mountainous forest surrounding the city. "Steve, I'm pretty sure this is it!"</p><p>"They're landing in a perimeter, Cap," added Sam. "If they're surrounding us, it's a good bet that they know we're here."</p><p>"Then we must hold them off," T'Challa stated. "Evacuate the city. Engage all defences. We must not allow anyone to destroy our beloved home."</p><p>"Yes, my king," said General Okoye. With a click of her heels, she nodded to her fellow warriors and began marching towards the armoury as T'Challa turned back to Steve.</p><p>"Make ready your team, Captain," he said. "It is time."</p><p>"Copy that," Steve said softly. "We'll be ready."</p><p>"Cap?" Clint asked as T'Challa followed his King's Guard into the palace. "Do we have a plan?"</p><p>Steve pursed his lips, wishing more than anything that Tony was there, by his side.</p><p>But he wasn't. He and Peter were somewhere out there in space, no doubt engaged in their very own battle for the Time Stone.</p><p>And now, the rest of the team needed to engage in theirs.</p><p>"Yes, we do," Steve said firmly, gripping his shield. "We fight."</p><hr/><p>Space was <em>cold</em>. And very, very empty.</p><p>Which was probably why it was called 'space', instead of vast quantities of stuff.</p><p>Regardless, standing there surrounded by nothing but dull grey metal and the occasional flashing light, Peter was absolutely freezing. He'd turned on the heater in his suit—actually, the heaters in both of his suits—but still had to keep his jaw practically locked so his teeth didn't chatter as he and Dad fiddled with the ships controls, trying to figure out how to drop the dumb thing out of warp.</p><p>Which, if what he'd figured out a few minutes ago was correct, was actually impossible. He just hadn't worked up the courage to tell Dad yet.</p><p>"Goddamnit!" Dad exclaimed, slamming his fist down onto the panel as a bright red light began flashing. Peter jumped at the sound, letting out a hard shiver as the blow resonated along the long panel over to where he was standing.</p><p>"Oh Jesus, Pete, I'm sorry," Dad said as he raised his head, his eyes scanning Peter up and down before holding out his arms. "You cold?"</p><p>"Yes," Peter rasped as he gratefully stepped into Dad's hug, tipping his forehead against his shoulder as Dad rubbed his palms up and down Peter's back, trying to warm him. Tears welled in Peter's eyes as he sensed the guilt radiating from his father in waves, even though, as usual, he had absolutely nothing to feel guilty for.</p><p>"Better?" Dad murmured after a couple moments.</p><p>"Uh huh. Loads," Peter whispered as he raised his head, sniffing. "Dad, I'm—I'm sorry. About… well… all of it. I—I was just trying to—I didn't mean to cause any extra trouble, and now—"</p><p>"Shh, buddy, none of this is your fault." Dad pressed a kiss to Peter's forehead before tucking him close again. "I just… I just wish we weren't on our own out here."</p><p>Peter gave a nod. "Yeah, me too." He honestly couldn't imagine how worried Papa must be, while still trying to coordinate the rest of the team with the Wakandans.</p><p>"But I'm sure Papa's got everything under control," Dad added, probably to convince himself as much as Peter. "You know him. I'll bet you he's already got everyone in line down there in Wakanda."</p><p>"Yeah, I bet," Peter said with a chuckle. "You think Thanos' army will really try and attack there?"</p><p>"Yeah, I'd say it's a decent possibility," said Dad. "They've got one of the stones, and Bruce seemed pretty adamant that Thanos wanted all six of 'em, so…"</p><p>"Well, then it'll be fine," said Peter. He inhaled a shaky breath, rubbing his freezing nose on Dad's chest. "We're the Avengers, right? So that means we don't lose."</p><p>Several heartbeats passed before Dad answered. "You're damn right, buddy. We don't lose. And I'm not ready to start now."</p><p>"Me either," said Peter. He burrowed even further into Dad's arms, luxuriating in his warmth until he heard footsteps approaching them from behind, and he looked up to find Dr Strange glaring down at them.</p><p>"I wasn't aware that it was break time," the wizard said, his maroon cloak hanging off his shoulders.</p><p>Dad huffed as he released Peter, keeping one hand on his shoulder. "Pete was cold," he said, low and tight. "I was helping him to get warm."</p><p>"Well, how fatherly of you," said Dr Strange. "But have you figured out how to turn the ship around yet?"</p><p>"Actually, I don't think we're gonna be able to," Peter said. He glanced down at the panel he'd been trying to decipher for over an hour. "'Cause if I've been able to figure this out correctly, which I think I have—"</p><p>"Course you have, Pete," Dad cut in.</p><p>"Uh huh. Well, then it says that the autopilot can only be overridden by the ugly alien dude that we blew out the hull when we were saving you, so… I'm thinking that means we're pretty much out of luck."</p><p>Dr Strange threw up his hands, rolling his eyes. "Well, that's just great. So now the very thing that I didn't want to happen is going to happen."</p><p>"Well, sometimes things don't quite go as you planned during a battle, <em>Doctor," </em>snapped Dad. "Which is something that those of us who actually fight them know pretty well."</p><p>Dr Strange tilted his head, glaring at Dad so harshly that if looks could kill, he would've been splattered across the control panels.</p><p>"Do you really think that I've never fought a battle? Are you so arrogant to assume that no one else has ever fought for something that they considered vital?" He stepped forward, entering Dad's personal space, who, despite being several centimetres shorter, proudly stood his ground. "You do realise that Thanos might very well be waiting for us when we arrive at our destination, and if that is the case, that my vow to not allow the Time Stone to fall into his hands absolutely must stand firm. You have to understand that if it comes down to saving you, or the kid, or the Time Stone, that I will not hesitate to let either of you die. I can't, because the fate of the universe depends on it."</p><p>Peter watched as Dad's jaw twitched, his fists clenching and unclenching as he tried to hold onto his temper.</p><p>"Fine. Have it your way," he finally said. "My kid's probably stronger than you anyway."</p><p>"Oh, I highly doubt that," Dr Strange said, with a rather sinister-looking smile. "But suffice it to say that I'm not interested in a competition."</p><p>"Well, that's good," said Peter. "'Cause if we're gonna win this, then we've all gotta work together. Papa always says that a team can never win if the players are only thinking about themselves."</p><p>"Which is absolutely true, bud," said Dad. "And since Pete and I have a ton of experience working together, I'm afraid it's you who's going to have to fall into line, doc."</p><p>Dr Strange raised a skeptical eyebrow, glancing between Peter and Dad. "You're telling me that your son… is an Avenger?"</p><p>"Y-yep," Dad said after a heartbeat's pause. "I mean, he's still in school so he's only like, part time. You know, like a nights and weekends kinda thing. But you've already seen him in action, so you know how good he is. And he's even got a uniform."</p><p>"Hmph," Dr Strange said, scowling as he turned on his heel. "Let me know when we're close to landing."</p><p>Dad rolled his eyes, glowering at Dr Strange's back as the wizard turned a corner, out of sight. Then he turned to Peter and raised his right hand, tapping him first on his left shoulder, then on his right, almost like he was knighting him.</p><p>"All right, buddy," he said quietly. "You're an Avenger now."</p><p>Pride instantly welled up inside Peter, and he had to fight an almost overwhelming urge to jump for joy at finally achieving the goal he had yearned for for so long. Instead, he bit the inside of his cheek and simply nodded, straightening his shoulders as Dad walked away.</p><p>Only an hour or so after threatening to ground him until he was eighteen, Dad had pronounced him an official Avenger.</p><p><em>Holy shit! </em>he exclaimed inside his head. <em>Oh, I can't wait to tell Gwen!</em></p><p>She was going to be so proud of him. And all it had taken was a simple alien invasion.</p><p>No longer at all cold, Peter turned back to his panel just as the ship veered to the right so sharply that he nearly tipped over. Dad grabbed onto Peter's arm to stabilise him, glancing down at him in alarm as he checked over the instruments.</p><p>"What do you think's going on?" Peter asked.</p><p>"I think we're here," answered Dr Strange. "Wherever 'here' is."</p><p>"Yeah, it definitely looks that way since the autopilot just kicked off," agreed Dad as he hurried towards the steering assembly. "And I don't think this big rig has a self-park function either. Pete, get up here."</p><p>"Uh huh," replied Peter.</p><p>Sliding his arm into the right side steering gimbal, Dad jerked his head towards the opposite side. "Get your hand in there and close the top around it. This was meant for one big guy, so we gotta move at the same time, yeah?"</p><p>"Yeah," Peter stated as he slid his arm into the contraption up to his elbow. "Okay, okay. I'm ready."</p><p>The ship was shimmying violently as it approached what appeared to be a desolate planet, and Peter braced his feet against the floor, trying to keep his gimbal as steady as possible. "Okay, Dad, we gotta turn! Turn! Turn!"</p><p>"I'm trying, Pete!" Dad shouted as his helmet closed over his head. Peter yelped as they crashed through the remains of a star-shaped building, his own mask closing over his head as Dr Strange stepped forward, generating some kind of huge golden shield that encased the cockpit like a dome. The ship bounced hard onto the surface of the planet, the top portion of the circle breaking off completely as they continued on towards another ruined building. With Dr Strange's force shield intact, Peter gave up on trying to manoeuvre his gimbal, launching a web at the ceiling and curling himself into a tight ball as the ship touched down again, still shedding pieces of itself as it finally skidded to a halt with a massive groan, leaning slightly sideways.</p><p>"Whew!" Peter said a few seconds later as he slowly lowered himself from the ceiling. "That was close!"</p><p>"Way too close," grumbled Dad from the floor by his gimbal. Dr Strange held out his hand, helping Dad back to his feet. "Thanks for that shield thing, by the way."</p><p>"Mmm," said Dr Strange. "See, Stark? I do know how to fight."</p><p>"Yeah, okay, but…" Peter said, shivering as that eerie, ice-cold bolt ran down the length of his spine. As if crashing down onto an alien planet wasn't bad enough, something else was about to happen.</p><p>"Um, I just wanna say, that if aliens wind up implanting eggs in my chest or something and I eat one of you, I'm sorry."</p><p>Dad shot a harsh scowl in Peter's direction as Dr Strange turned, a rather curious look on his face. "Pete, now's not really the time—"</p><p>"I'm trying to say that something is coming—!" Peter cried, just as a circular metal ball rolled onto the ship, generating a blast that blasted him directly into one of the metal support beams of the ship. Giving his head a quick shake, Peter pushed himself up on his hands, his eyes landing on what appeared to be a woman with a set of antennae poking out of the top of her forehead.</p><p>"Whoa!" he exclaimed, crab-walking backwards as the woman's eyes went wide and the tips of her antennae began to glow. "No, no, no! Please don't put your eggs in me!" He quickly shot his webs at her, immobilising her just as he was kicked off to the side, the sound of Dad's repulsors firing filling his ears.</p><p>
  <em>What the hell is happening?</em>
</p><p>"Die, blanket of death!" someone else yelled from a few feet away. Peter immediately jumped up, his suit's spider legs activating as he took off towards the Flash Gordon mask-wearing dude who had kicked him. He leaped up, ready to pounce just as the dude tossed some sort of electrical rope at him. As if it had a mind of its own, the rope quickly coiled itself around Peter's body as the guy yanked on it, causing him to crash onto the floor. The guy immediately grabbed for Peter, hauling him up and pointing the end of his blaster right at the side of Peter's head, his strong arm pressing against Peter's windpipe even through his suit. Peter's belly swooped in fear, his heart thudding as he scanned the area for Dad.</p><p>Whoever the guy was had a gun to his head. This was definitely <em>not </em>cool.</p><p>"All right!" the guy holding him called. "Everybody stay where you are, let's chill the eff out!" He pressed a button on the side of his head, causing his helmet to disintegrate as he pointed his blaster at Dad for a few seconds before returning it to Peter. "I'm gonna ask you this one time. Who the hell are you, and what the hell are you doing here?"</p><p>"Peter!" Dad cried, his right foot planted firmly on the chest of a huge bald guy who was covered in weird tattoos. Dad's bottom lip was trembling, his face the same horrible ashen color that it'd been when he finally found Papa in the HYDRA bunker in Georgia, while Peter's knees were shaking so badly he was surprised he was still upright. With his arms firmly pinned to his sides, even if he could've tried to flip out of the guy's hold he likely wouldn't be able to get the blaster out of the way first, and while Peter knew that Dad's nanotechnology was as top-notch as it could get, he still wasn't sure if his mask would be able to withstand a point-blank shot from the guy's blaster.</p><p>And judging from the panicked look on Dad's face, he was thinking the exact same thing.</p><p>"Good God, man," Dad pleaded, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. "Please, don't hurt the kid!"</p><p>"He's a kid?" a woman's voice suddenly said from somewhere off to the side. Peter gasped as she stepped into view; tall, dark-haired, and completely green.</p><p>"Oh, yeah, sure he is. I don't believe that for a second," Blaster Guy snapped. "And how the hell does this other guy know my name, hmm? What're you, a psychic or something?"</p><p>"Huh?" Dad croaked, his eyes flicking rapidly between Peter, Blaster Guy, and Green Lady. "I never said—?"</p><p>"Nevermind that!" Blaster Guy yelped, his arm tightening around Peter's neck. "What the hell are you guys doing here?"</p><p>"I could ask you the same goddamn thing!" cried Dad. He pressed his armored foot harder into the bald guy's chest. "'Cept I would've been a bit more polite about it!"</p><p>"Oh yeah?" said Tattooed Guy, his skin the color of those silver pokey things the alien had been using earlier on Doctor Strange. "Well, what if we don't feel like being polite!"</p><p>Blaster Guy paused, his grip on Peter's neck wavering ever so slightly until he was able to regain his composure. Gritting his teeth, he pressed the tip of the blaster even harder into Peter's temple. "I swear to God, if you don't tell me what the hell you're doing here, I'm gonna French fry this little freak!"</p><p>"Peter!" Dad yelped again, causing the guy holding Peter to flinch. Dad held up one hand, his eyes as wide as pie tins as a huge weapon formed at the end of his other hand, pointing directly at Tattooed Guy's face. "Goddamnit, you idiot, I told you he's just a kid! You're really gonna hurt a kid?"</p><p>"No, he's not!" called Green Lady. She stepped over to Blaster Guy's opposite side, her fingers curling around his arm. "Peter, you're not gonna hurt the kid, right?"</p><p>"Huh?" Blaster Guy cried, gaping at Green Lady like she'd just asked him to detach one of his limbs. "Don't tell me you actually believe these assholes?"</p><p>"Yes, I do," Green Lady said evenly, reaching for Blaster Guy's blaster. "So why don't we all take a deep breath, and back off."</p><p>"But—but—" Blaster Guy sputtered. "How the hell does that dude know my name?"</p><p>"Okay, okay, look," Peter said quickly, his voice trembling. "I'm gonna assume that you guys aren't with Thanos, right?"</p><p>"Of course we're—" Green Lady started.</p><p>"What?" Blaster Guy cut in, incredulous. "<em>With </em>Thanos? Who the hell are you guys?"</p><p>"Okay, let me ask you this one time," said Dr Strange, his golden shield thingy held firmly in his right hand, which was shaking slightly. "What master do you serve?"</p><p>"What… master?" scoffed Blaster Guy. "What am I supposed to say, Jesus?"</p><p>Dad rolled his eyes, grimacing like he was in pain. "You're from Earth?"</p><p>"Well, not all of us," started Green Lady. "But he—"</p><p>"I'm not from Earth, I'm from Missouri," retorted Blaster Guy.</p><p>"Yeah, that's on Earth, dipshit!" Dad snapped. "So what're you hassling us for?"</p><p>"And your name is Peter, right?" Peter asked.</p><p>"Huh?" Blaster Guy shrieked, right into Peter's ear. "How the hell do you know that?"</p><p>"Because his name is Peter too, Peter!" Green Lady snapped. "Now, let him go!"</p><p>"It is?" Blaster Guy, aka Peter, said. He frowned down at Peter. "Who the hell are you guys?"</p><p>"We're the Avengers, man!" Peter exclaimed. "And yes, my name's Peter too, so can you please take your blaster thingy away from my head now? Before you give my dad a heart attack?"</p><p>"You're… the Avengers?"</p><p>"Oh!" Antennae Lady said, still struggling against her web cage. "You're the ones Thor told us about!"</p><p>"Hold on, you know Thor?" asked Dad.</p><p>"Yeah, we know him," Blaster Guy said, scowling as he glanced over at Green Lady. "Tall guy, not that good-looking, needed saving."</p><p>"Yeah, but does that mean he's okay?" asked Peter. "He's not dead?"</p><p>"No, he's not dead," said Green Lady. "He took off in our pod before we went to Knowhere."</p><p>"Before you went to… wait, where'd he take off to?" asked Dad.</p><p>"He said something about going to Nidavellir to get a new hammer," Blaster Peter said as he finally released his hold on Peter's neck. Dad immediately lurched forward, drawing Peter into a tight hug as his eyes shot bullets at Blaster Peter.</p><p>"A new hammer?" asked Peter, his voice muffled against his father's chest. His heart rate was finally starting to return to normal. "Can he do that?"</p><p>Blaster Peter shrugged. "Look, I dunno. I didn't really ask."</p><p>"That's 'cause you didn't wanna talk to him," said Green Lady.</p><p>"What?" exclaimed Blaster Peter. "No, that's not—"</p><p>"Yes, it is, Quill," said Tattooed Guy. "You were afraid to speak to him because he threatened your manhood."</p><p>"What? No he didn't!" Blaster Peter protested.</p><p>"Yes, he did," Green Lady said, rolling her eyes. "You got jealous just because I touched his arm."</p><p>Blaster Peter's jaw twitched as he glared at Green Lady. "No, I really didn't, and—"</p><p>"Yeah, okay, you know what? I don't really care about who's jealous of who," snapped Dad. "All I care about is when Thor's coming back."</p><p>"Oh," said Blaster Peter. "Well, I dunno. I didn't ask."</p><p>"He took two of our guys with him," said Green Lady.</p><p>"Oh, well, that's just great," grumbled Dad. "You mean there's more of you?"</p><p>"Yep," answered Blaster Peter. "We're the Guardians of the Galaxy."</p><p>"O-kay," Dad said slowly. He shot Peter a pointed look. "So, you got a name there, Mr Guardian?"</p><p>"Ahh, maybe tell us your last name, sir?" asked Peter. "Otherwise it's gonna get pretty confusing here with both of us having the same name."</p><p>"My last name's Quill," Blaster Peter said, puffing out his chest. "I'm also known as Star-Lord, as you've probably heard."</p><p>"Nope, can't say that I have," said Dad.</p><p>"Oh. Well, I'm also half-god, so that probably means I'm stronger than you," said Quill.</p><p>"And bragging about that is not exactly the best way to make new friends, Peter," said Green Lady. She turned to Peter, smiling politely as he offered her hand. "I'm Gamora."</p><p>"Um, hi," Peter said with a rather awkward smile. "I'm Peter Stark-Rogers, and this is my dad. He's Iron Man."</p><p>"Tony Stark," Dad said shortly. "Look, did Thor happen to say when he might be done with this new hammer of his? 'Cause we could sure use his help."</p><p>"Ah, nope, he sure didn't," said Quill. "He just took off in our pod with two of my guys and like, almost all of our food. Said he was going to get his new hammer and would meet up with us afterwards."</p><p>"But is he planning on coming here?" demanded Dr Strange.</p><p>But Quill just shrugged as he walked through the damaged hull of the ship, pulling a yellow device from his pocket once he got outside. "What the hell happened to this planet? It's eight degrees off its axis, and the gravitational pull is all over the place."</p><p>Following Gamora and Dad outside the ship, Peter squinted against the harsh, orangish light of the desolate planet. It reminded him a lot of District 13 in the Hunger Games, with the ground completely devoid of anything resembling plant life and the buildings either piles of rubble or completely gutted out. The air, while breathable, was so hazy that it made Peter want to take a deep breath, but at the same time scared to do so.</p><p>"What the hell…?" Dad muttered under his breath as Antennae Lady started jumping up and down in the lower gravity, a wide, childish smile on her face. "I sure hope Thor hurries his ass up, we could definitely use the help."</p><p>"Yeah, but these guys seem to have some pretty advanced stuff, and Quill did say he was half-god," replied Peter. "Maybe they'll be able to help us too."</p><p>"Yeah, but half-god of what, idiocy?" Dad retorted. "And an idiot with a gun is a pretty dangerous idiot, bud."</p><p>"Well, yeah, I know that," said Peter. "But he definitely seems to hate Thanos, so—"</p><p>"Quill does hate Thanos," Tattooed Guy said as he and Gamora came up behind them. "Because Thanos is Gamora's father."</p><p>Dad whipped around, his eyes so wide they were almost bulging. "<em>What? </em>Thanos is this lady's <em>father!"</em></p><p>"He is my adoptive father," Gamora said softly. "He destroyed half the people on my planet when I was a child, killed both my parents, and then took me away with him as recompense."</p><p>"Oh, wow," Peter said, wincing. "That's like, really awful!"</p><p>"The god you call Thor told us of a sister he had that was similar to Thanos," said Tattooed Guy. "He and Gamora bonded over their experiences with evil, murderous family members, and that is why Quill was jealous."</p><p>"For the last time, I wasn't jealous!" Quill snapped from his perch on a pile of debris.</p><p>"Yes, you were. And it was stupid," Gamora said firmly. "But after what happened on Knowhere, we should probably start figuring out what we're gonna do once Thanos gets here."</p><p>"So Thanos is for sure coming here?" Dr Strange asked.</p><p>"Yes," answered Tattooed Guy. "One of his children was supposed to bring the Time Stone to this place.  It is Thanos’ home planet."</p><p>Peter's belly dropped to his knees. "Oh, crap."</p><p>"What?" asked Gamora.</p><p>Dad huffed, scratching at the back of his head. "Ah, we kinda killed the alien dude who was sent to get the Time Stone."</p><p>"Well, then maybe he won't come here after all," said Quill. "Asshole's only interested in finding the stones."</p><p>"Except that Mr Wizard here is the one who's got the Time Stone," said Dad. "So, yeah, Thanos is probably coming here."</p><p>"But Uncle Thor told us that some of his people left the Reality Stone on Knowhere," said Peter. "So if he went there, then maybe—"</p><p>"Thanos got the Reality Stone," Gamora said sadly. "We tried to stop him, but… he had already acquired it by the time we got there."</p><p>"So now he's got four of the stones?" asked Dad. "You actually saw him with four of the stones?"</p><p>"Yep," said Quill. "He's wearing 'em in some big, fancy golden glove on his left hand, like they're his trophies or something."</p><p>"Yes," said Gamora. "Which means there's only two left for him to find."</p><p>"Oh, shit," Dad muttered. His frightened eyes met Peter's, his unspoken words as loud as if he'd broadcasted them with a megaphone.</p><p>
  <em>I wish Papa was here.</em>
</p><p>"Me too, Dad," Peter whispered. "Me too."</p><p>"Under no circumstances can the Time Stone fall into Thanos' hands," said Dr Strange. "We must come up with a way to protect it."</p><p>Dad breathed in, biting down hard on his bottom lip. Then he clapped his hand on Peter's shoulder, jerking his head in Quill's direction.</p><p>"All right," he said. "I think I've got a plan."</p><hr/><p>Steve's heart felt like a huge ball of lead as he stood on one of the hovering Wakandan warrior transports, zooming across the vast plain that stretched from the palace. A few metres from the transport was Bruce, running along in the Veronica armour as he attempted to get accustomed to it.</p><p>"Don't you think these things kinda look like the speeders in Star Wars?" Bucky asked from Steve's side, his rifle clutched firmly in his hands.</p><p>"Yeah, they do," answered Steve, wincing at the sharp pang that struck his gut at the thought. Peter had introduced Steve to Star Wars the very day that they returned from Afghanistan, almost five years—<em>five years!</em>—ago, and now, Steve would've given just about anything to know with absolute certainty that both he and Tony were okay.</p><p>But he knew that he couldn't. He had a battle to win first.</p><p>"So, how's it going out there, Bruce?" Natasha asked over the comm a few seconds later. "You getting the hang of things?"</p><p>"Yeah, I think so!" Bruce answered as he lifted off from the plain, landing several metres ahead of Steve's speeder. With Bruce and Hulk still having their… differences of opinion, Steve had suggested that Bruce start out the impending battle wearing the armour. If Hulk then decided to join them once things got underway, all the better.</p><p>"Whoa! This is pretty amazing!" added Bruce as he resumed his thundering steps. "It's like being the Hulk without actually, <em>ah</em>—!" He cut off as his huge right foot tripped over a boulder poking out of the ground, landing smack onto his front and skidding for several metres.</p><p>"Oh boy," Steve muttered under his breath. "Of all the times for Hulk to want to hide…"</p><p>"Well, I was getting the hang of it," Bruce sheepishly said as he dug some embedded grass from his faceplate. "Don't worry, Cap, I'll be okay."</p><p>"Are you sure?" asked Steve. "'Cause I'm sure that we could—"</p><p>"Nope, nope, I'll be fine," insisted Bruce. "Just need to work the kinks out a bit first. I'll be ready."</p><p>Steve sighed, glancing over at Bucky, who merely shrugged. "He says he'll be ready, Стиви."</p><p>"Yeah, I sure hope so," answered Steve. "'Cause I'm pretty sure we're gonna need him."</p><p>"Cap, I've got two heat signatures breaking through the treeline," said James as he flew by, followed directly by Sam. Outside the domed area, Steve could see orange flames and smoke rising up from the forest where a few of the projectiles had landed.</p><p>"You think those things are troop transports?" he asked Bucky.</p><p>"Probably," Bucky answered. "And they kinda look like the ones in Star Wars too, don't ya think? We'll have to tell Петр all about 'em once he comes back."</p><p>"Oh, that's for sure," Steve forced past the knot in his throat. He knew Bucky was only trying to ease his own nervousness by talking. He'd done the same thing during the war too, before all of their HYDRA raids. It was just that Steve could barely even think about Peter and Tony without nearly doubling over in pain and worry, and he simply couldn't afford the luxury of doing so at the moment.</p><p>They had to win this battle first, which, from the looks of it, was going to be the largest that Steve had ever fought.</p><p>As the Wakandan warriors all fell into formation, Steve, Natasha, and T'Challa, who was wearing a uniform that to Steve very closely resembled Tony's nanotechnology, exited their transports and headed towards the shield dome, where two aliens had taken up position. Steve watched as the smaller of the two, who appeared to be female, ran her weapon across the force shield, almost like she was testing it for weaknesses, as he, Natasha, and T'Challa came to a stop.</p><p>"Where are my husband and son?" Steve demanded, his hands clenching into fists when the female alien's lips curled into a smirk.</p><p>"They will both pay for what they have done with their lives, just as you will," she sneered. "Thanos will have that stone."</p><p>"That's not going to happen," Steve practically spat out, his teeth tightly clenched.</p><p>"You are in Wakanda now, and the Soul Stone belongs to us," added T'Challa. "Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood."</p><p>The female alien's lips twitched. "We have blood to spare," she said in a low voice. Then she raised her weapon arm into the air, crying out some kind of call to war as the ground surrounding the landed transports began to rumble, releasing what appeared to be some kind of rabid, six-legged war dogs, not too unlike the wargs from Lord of the Rings. Steve's heart began to thud as he, Natasha, and T'Challa hurried back to their warriors, Steve's hand gripping his shield so tightly that a bolt of pain shot across his knuckles.</p><p>"So, did they surrender?" Bucky asked once Steve was back in formation.</p><p>"Not exactly," replied Steve, low and tight as T'Challa began chanting a traditional Wakandan war chant, one his warriors answered in turn.</p><p>"What the hell are those?" Bucky asked as the first of the war dogs smashed themselves against the force shield. To Steve's shock, more than a few of them managed to make it through before they were literally burned in half, shedding limbs as they kept on running until they dropped.</p><p>"They are killing themselves!" gasped General Okoye.</p><p>"This must be their blood to spare," said Natasha.</p><p>"No, shit," Steve heard Clint reply as the Wakandans in the front line activated their rectangular handheld shields. "Damn. That's pretty cold."</p><p>Sucking in a deep breath, Steve glanced over at T'Challa, whose expression hadn't wavered in the slightest. If anything, he appeared even more determined to defend his home.</p><p>And while it wasn't much, it was still enough to give Steve the proverbial kick in the pants that he needed to give his team what he hoped was an encouraging nod. Then he raised his own shield and planted his feet, preparing to fight.</p><p>The battle for Wakanda—for <em>Earth</em>—had begun.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment!  💖 </p><p>Emoji Key for those who don't know what to say in the comments!<br/>❤ = you wish you could kudos again<br/>😭 = I got you right in the feels<br/>🔥 = this was so hot/ sweet!<br/>🐰 = it’s so fluffy!<br/>😣 = the angst is killing me!</p><p>The next chapter will post on Monday, December 7th.  Thank you for reading!  💖</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I do apologise for the longer waits between chapters lately.  My oldest daughter was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder in October, and trying to figure out her meds and appointments and insurance has become like a full-time job 😞.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Dad?" Peter asked, his quiet voice startling Tony from his anxiety-induced daze. His clenched hands were still trembling, his fingernails leaving moon-shaped indentations in his palms as he watched Peter Quill yammer his way around the surface of Titan. He'd told Peter that he had come up with a plan for when Thanos finally decided to show up, and he had. But at the moment Tony was still grappling with the almost overwhelming desire to claw Quill's face off with his bare hands and then try to escape back to Earth in his ship, Strange Wizard and the goddamn Time Stone be damned.</p><p><em>This is why no one lets me make the plans, </em>he thought, not without the slightest hint of humour. Oh, Tony had no doubt that if Steve had been there to witness Mr Dumb-Lord holding a fucking <em>blaster</em> to their son's head that he would've been just as scared out of his wits as Tony—and been just as livid afterwards—but Steve also would have realised that now that the standoff was over, they needed to put it behind them and focus on the task at hand.</p><p>The task that happened to be defending the Time Stone against the strongest creature in the entire universe.</p><p>Otherwise known as just another day at the office.</p><p>
  <em>Sometimes I really hate this job.</em>
</p><p>"Yeah, Pete?" Tony answered as he tried to take a deep breath, his throat and lungs already burning from the stale, dusty air of the planet. <em>What the hell happened here, anyway?</em></p><p>"Um… you said that you've got a plan?" Peter said, still just as low and tentative. He'd always been too perceptive for his own good. "I'm only asking 'cause Gamora here seems to think that Thanos is gonna show up kinda soon, so we probably should figure out what we're gonna do before then."</p><p>
  <em>Gamora. That was the green chick's name, right?</em>
</p><p>"She's the green lady," Peter said, correctly reading Tony's confusion. He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "And I think she and the Quill dude are a couple."</p><p>"Oh, Christ," Tony muttered, his shoulders dropping. He probably would've figured that out as well if he hadn't been so distracted by the fucking <em>blaster</em> being held at Peter's head. "Well, hopefully that won't cause us any problems."</p><p>Peter shrugged his skinny shoulders. "You and Papa never seem to have problems working together, so why should they?"</p><p>"That's 'cause we know that we've always got each other's back, Pete," answered Tony. "And so far these guys seem like they're just a bunch of live wires waiting to spark, so…" He huffed out a sharp breath. "But, yeah, I guess they're who we're stuck with for the time being."</p><p>"Right," Peter said. "So… the plan?"</p><p>"The plan," Tony echoed, biting down on his bottom lip as his belly gave a violent lurch. "Yeah. The plan."</p><p>
  <em>Shit.</em>
</p><p>It wasn't that Tony didn't have a plan. It was just that he felt like he was being forced to involve Peter against his will. Objectively, Tony knew how strong his son was, and how well he could handle himself in the field—or rather, in the safety-controlled field that was the Avengers' training dome up at the Compound. He also knew that Peter had managed to find and break into HYDRA's secret—and very much <em>non</em>-safety-controlled—invisible bunker down in Georgia to rescue Steve, so Tony was certain that he'd be able to handle himself well enough now.</p><p>It was just… Tony just really wished that he wasn't there. If he—and Steve—had had their way, Peter would be safely back at the Tower by now, surrounded by JARVIS, dozens of Happy's security guards, the best defence drones that Tony could build, and George Stacy. Not there with him on a barren rock of a planet, surrounded by a pack of bumbling idiots while they waited for their impending doom to arrive wearing a fancy, bejewelled glove.</p><p><em>Oh, God!</em> Tony suddenly thought, pressing his palm to his chest, over his nanite case. <em>Oh God, please! Don't let anything happen to him!</em></p><p>
  <em>I couldn't take it!</em>
</p><p>He was just never going to allow Peter to leave the Tower ever again, once they managed to make it home. It really was that simple.</p><p>
  <em>But first, the plan.</em>
</p><p>"Okay, so," Tony started, clearing his throat. "Um… Mr Lord, could you guys come—"</p><p>"Mr Lord," Quill repeated with a chuckle. "Star-Lord is fine, Mr Man."</p><p>"Actually, Quill is just fine," said Gamora as she stepped up next to Quill.</p><p>"What?" protested Quill. "Why do I have to call him mister if he just gets to call me—?"</p><p>"'Cause I'm not the one that held a fucking blaster to your son's head, you got that?" Tony snapped. "So, if you would all please just circle up here, we can get started!"</p><p>Quill's eyes went wide as he held up his hands. "Well, actually, I don't even have a son, so there's really no way that you could—"</p><p>"Peter!" Gamora said sharply, elbowing Quill hard on the arm. "For once will you please just listen?"</p><p>"Okay, okay!" Quill said, backing away slightly. "I never said I wasn't gonna listen!"</p><p>Gamora rolled her eyes, shooting Tony an apologetic glance. "Sorry. He's not used to not being in charge."</p><p>"Ah huh," Tony said warily, pointedly ignoring his internal <em>oh shit!</em>-o'meter. "Well… since you guys have already fought against Thanos once today, how 'bout you give us a quick rundown on what we can expect, yeah?"</p><p>"I would not call what we did fighting against him," piped up the Mr Clean-looking dude from a few metres away.</p><p>"Oh, yeah?" Tony said. <em>Here we go.</em> "Care to share what you would call it with the rest of the class?"</p><p>Mr Clean's brow furrowed. "I am not in a class. In fact, and I am sorry to have to be the one to tell you, but at the moment, neither are you."</p><p><em>Oh. Dear. God.</em> "Yeah, okay," Tony said with a surprisingly straight face. "But anyway. Thanos? What's he like?"</p><p>"He's unbeatable," Gamora said, so frankly that Tony flinched. "I have fought with him and for him for years. He was unbeatable before the stones, and now, with four of them, he'll be even more so."</p><p>There was a pause while Tony contemplated Gamora's words, trying to force his muddled mind to think rationally. Obviously Thanos hadn't tried to kill Gamora and Quill and their two weird compatriots or they wouldn't be standing there. But the big question was why.</p><p>"Okay, so… then how'd you guys get away from… Knowhere?" Peter asked. "How'd you manage to escape?"</p><p>Mr Clean shrugged. "We didn't. After he retrieved the Reality Stone, Thanos simply left us there."</p><p>"Really," said Tony. "You have any clue why he did that?"</p><p>"Because we weren't a threat to him," said the antennae lady, who seemed to have finally decided that she was done jumping around like a freaking kid on a trampoline.</p><p>"Yes, that is true," said Mr Clean. "We were not a threat."</p><p>Tony threw up his hands. "Oh. Well, that's just great."</p><p>"We tried to stop him, but the power of the Reality Stone was too great," said Gamora.</p><p>"And that's because, let me guess, it can alter reality?" Tony asked.</p><p>"Yes, it can," said Mr Clean, completely serious. "Thanos used it to make Knowhere look like a palace in order to trick us."</p><p>"Nah, I wouldn't've called that a palace," scoffed Quill. "Ego's place was a palace. Knowhere was just… kinda like a nice house. A big nice house."</p><p>Tony glanced over at Peter, giving him his <em>help me!</em> face.</p><p>"Um… who's Ego?" Peter asked. "Is he another one of Thanos' guys?"</p><p>Quill's head snapped back in surprise. "One of Thanos' guys? No! Ego was my father!"</p><p>"Ego was also a planet," added Mr Clean. "Until we destroyed him."</p><p>"Um… your father was a planet?" Peter asked. "How'd that work, exactly?"</p><p>Mr Clean shot Peter a bizarre look. "He made himself a penis. Surely you are old enough for your father to have taught you how—"</p><p>"Nope, nope, we're not going there!" Tony cut in. <em>Jesus fucking Christ!</em> "If he's not one of Thanos' minions, then I don't think we need to hear anymore about him, yeah?</p><p>Quill scoffed, grimacing at Mr Clean. "Yeah, Drax. Did ya really have to bring up my father's ding-dong right now? Right in front of me?"</p><p>Gamora rolled her eyes. "Peter—"</p><p>"And since you guys had to ask, I have no idea how it worked," Quill went on. "All I know is that after I was born, Ego made my mom sick until she died. So I killed him."</p><p>"Ahh, you killed him?" asked Peter. "Or the planet?"</p><p>"Both, in a way," answered Gamora. "Ego was a god, and we destroyed his planet, which then destroyed him."</p><p>Tony gave his head a hard shake, trying to find some shred of sense in the nonsense conversation and failing completely. "Oh, well, then I'd say that'd be pretty good practise for fighting against Thanos, don't you think?"</p><p>"Yes, except Thanos is stronger than Ego, and especially with the stones," said Mr Clean. "The four of us were barely able to withstand the power of the Power Stone."</p><p>Tony's eyebrows knitted together. "Hang on. You guys have actually handled one of these stones?"</p><p>"Yep," Quill answered, holding out his left palm. "Held the Power Stone right in this hand. Boy, did that hurt like hell! It also almost ripped me apart until Gamora, Drax, and Rocket grabbed onto me."</p><p>"Holy shit!" Peter exclaimed, wincing as he shot Tony an apologetic look. "Sorry, but… whoa! You actually held the Power Stone in your hand? That's insane!"</p><p>"Yes, because Peter is half-god, like he said. But it still nearly ripped us all apart, and that was just one of them," Gamora said grimly. "And like Drax said, Thanos isn't interested in using the stones to better himself. He's only interested in his goal."</p><p>"Which is to wipe out half of life in the universe," said Peter.</p><p>"Yep," said Quill, causing Tony's belly to drop to his knees. "That's his only goal."</p><p>"It's been his only goal for years," added Gamora. "And one that he'll stop at nothing to achieve."</p><p>A heavy pause settled over the group as Tony and Peter exchanged loaded glances. Finally, Tony spoke up.</p><p>"Okay, well, on that note, I think I've got a plan. Or at least the beginnings of one," he said. "You wanna gather your people around?"</p><p>"My people?" Quill said with a slight chuckle.</p><p>"Oh boy," muttered Gamora.</p><p>"Yeah, we're not usually too big on plans," added Quill. He jerked his head towards Mr Clean—Drax, apparently—and Antennae Lady. "Not winging it isn't really what they do."</p><p>"Um… what exactly is it that they do?" asked Peter.</p><p>"We kick names, and take ass," answered Antennae Lady.</p><p>"Yeah, that's right," added Drax.</p><p>Once again, Tony was struck speechless, wishing for the umpteenth time that Steve was there with them. A quick glance over at his son confirmed that he was thinking the exact same thing, which, while not helpful in the slightest, at least made Tony feel just a tiny bit better.</p><p>"Okay… well… this one's simple," Tony insisted. "We draw him in, pin him down, and get what we want—"</p><p>"Which is the gauntlet," Peter cut in, just in case any of the so-called Guardians of the Galaxy were unsure.</p><p>"Right," said Tony. "We definitely don't wanna dance with this guy, we just want the gauntlet. 'Cause I figure if we can get the glove off, then all our wizard friend has to do is portal either it or him off into space or something, and we've won."</p><p>Quill was silent for a moment, his expression implying he was thinking, although there was no way Tony could be sure. While he waited for a response, he looked around. He had been keeping Peter right by his elbow ever since Quill released him, not wanting him out of his sight, and Strange had wandered off on his own as soon as the group got outside, and was now sitting in the <em>om </em>position as he hovered over a pile of rocks about fifteen metres away.</p><p>And Tony was just too tired and too frazzled to try and even render a guess as to what the hell he was up to.</p><p>"Okay, so I like your plan, except I think it sucks," Quill finally said.</p><p>"What—?" Tony started.</p><p>"So why don't you let me do the plan, and that way it might be really good," added Quill.</p><p>"Wow," Tony said under his breath. <em>Half-god my ass.</em> "All right then, <em>Mister</em> Lord, would you like to tell us what exactly you have in mind?"</p><p>"You should tell him about the dance-off to save the universe, Quill," said Drax.</p><p>Quill actually looked embarrassed. "That's not—that's not really—"</p><p>"Ah, a dance-off?" asked Tony, bracing himself for the answer.</p><p>"Oh, it's not—it's not really a thing," replied Quill.</p><p>"No, it's not," added Gamora.</p><p>"Wait, a dance-off? You mean, like in Footloose?" asked Peter.</p><p>"Exactly like Footloose!" Quill exclaimed. "Is it still the greatest movie in history?"</p><p>Tony snorted as Peter wrinkled his nose and Gamora rolled her eyes. "Um, it never was."</p><p>"Okay, Pete, let's just try and stay on task here, yeah?" Tony said with a sigh. "Now, as I was saying, we only need to get the gauntlet off, and I think between all of us, we should be able to—"</p><p>"I'm sorry, Mr Stark, but I don't agree," said Gamora.</p><p>"Ah… about which part?" asked Tony.</p><p>"The part about you thinking that we can get the gauntlet off Thanos," Gamora said. "I don't think you understand just how powerful Thanos is, so—"</p><p>"Yeah," Quill cut in. "I know you think you're probably pretty strong and all, but there's no way we can just wrestle him down and take the gauntlet. It'll just never work."</p><p>"But you were able to kill a planet?" Peter asked, frowning. "How's that any easier?"</p><p>"Yeah, but that was 'cause of Mantis," said Quill. "She used to work for Ego."</p><p>Peter's eyebrows shot up behind his hair. "M-mantis… used to work for your father? Who was a planet?"</p><p>"Yep," Quill said proudly. "Part of her job was to put him to sleep."</p><p>As if on cue, both Tony and Peter turned to look behind them, where Antennae Lady—Mantis, apparently—was standing with Mr Clean—Drax.</p><p>"O-kay, well…" Tony trailed off, still thinking. "You're right that I haven't had the pleasure of personally fighting against Thanos," he continued. "But Pete and I have fought against two of his lackeys, and I know someone else who went up against him one-on-one and lived to tell the tale. And I really think if we all worked together, we could do it. But we'd have to all be on the exact same page the whole time, which means no winging it."</p><p>Drax let out such a heavy sigh that he nearly collapsed as he turned to Quill. "I really prefer it when we wing it."</p><p>"Yes, but we can't do that this time, Drax," said Gamora. "Mr Stark—"</p><p>"Call me, Tony," Tony interrupted. He'd always hated being called Mr Stark as it always made him want to turn around and look for his father. "Please."</p><p>"Okay, Tony," Gamora said with a slight smile. "I do think you're right that this could work, but only with Mantis's help."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess I see how that could work," said Quill.</p><p>"You do?" Tony said, realising that he sounded way too excited. "I mean, you really think that… Mantis could put Thanos to sleep like she did with your father/planet?"</p><p>Quill and Gamora exchanged glances, with Gamora finally shaking her head.</p><p>"Well, I guess we'll find out," said Quill. "Hey, Mantis? You wanna come here for a sec?"</p><p>"Um, I will in a moment!" Mantis replied in her high-pitched, squeaky voice. She raised her hand, pointing to where Strange was still floating over the rocks, his neck and wrists encircled by tendrils of green light emanating from the stone around his neck.</p><p>And if that wasn't the weirdest part, Strange's head was also twitching from side to side, almost like he was having a violent seizure.</p><p>"Does your friend often… do that?" Mantis asked.</p><p>"What the hell?" Tony muttered as he grabbed onto Peter's elbow, heading over to Strange. "Uh, Strange? Are we all right here?"</p><p>But Strange's twitching only grew more violent as they approached, and just as Tony reached a hand out towards him, he fell back to the ground, pitching forward onto his shaking hands.</p><p>"Okay, okay," Tony said carefully as he crouched down, looking up at the obviously disturbed wizard. "You're back now. You're all right."</p><p>Strange gave a shaky nod. "Yeah."</p><p>"Hey, what was that?" asked Peter. "Are you okay?"</p><p>Sucking in a deep breath, Strange locked eyes with Tony. "I went forward in time, to view alternative futures, to see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict."</p><p>"How many did you see?" asked Quill.</p><p>Strange glanced up, still huffing like he'd just ran a marathon. "Fourteen million, six hundred and five," he answered.</p><p>
  <em>Ho. Ly. Shit.</em>
</p><p>"Okay, so… how many do we win?" Tony asked, dread burning a hole in his gut as Strange swallowed hard. The wizard's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Tony could've sworn that he almost looked sympathetic.</p><p>"Two."</p><hr/><p>Steve flinched as the first sleek blue shots fired by the Wakandan warriors zoomed across the plain, aiming for the incoming warg-like war dogs. Above him, Sam and James swerved and dipped as they skirted along the very edge of the force shield. As James flew, he released small bombs from the back of his armour, trying to keep the war dogs that managed to break through the shield from advancing.</p><p>"Well, it looks like we pissed someone off," Natasha muttered from Steve's side.</p><p>"We sure did," agreed Steve. "Wanda, Pietro, once T'Challa sounds the charge, I'm gonna need the two of you to hang back here, behind the shield line."</p><p>"But, Captain, why?" Pietro protested. "Wanda and I, we are Avengers too! And we are ready to fight!"</p><p>"Cap's right, Ro," said Clint. "You two are Avengers, yes, but your battle experience is still pretty limited." He clapped a reassuring hand on his surrogate son's shoulder. "And personally, I'll feel a lot better having you guys as backup."</p><p>"Gee, thanks," Natasha said, tossing Clint a wink.</p><p>"Wanda might be needed to help protect the Soul Stone if the enemy ends up finding it," added Steve. "And Pietro, I'd like you to keep your eyes open for anyone wounded. If you see someone go down, you get out there and get 'em to safety. Got it?"</p><p>Pietro pursed his lips, but nodded anyway. "Aye, Captain. Understood."</p><p>"That's right," said Clint. Steve watched as he instinctively stepped forward, partially in front of Pietro, and couldn't help but smile softly. For someone who never thought he'd want to be a father, Clint had definitely stepped up to the plate with the twins.</p><p>A pang of fear laced with remorse suddenly hit Steve straight in the gut, nearly causing him to double over. He simply could not ignore that his own husband and child should've been there too, standing side-by-side with him. Or preferably just Tony, with Peter safely at home.</p><p>And the fact that they <em>weren't</em>, that they were out there, wherever <em>out there</em> was… well, Steve was so worried for them that he could barely stand up straight.</p><p>He had no doubt that if Bucky and Natasha weren't standing next to him, he would've already crumpled into a heap. Right there in the middle of the battlefield.</p><p>
  <em>They're gonna be okay. They're gonna be okay. They're gonna be okay.</em>
</p><p>Maybe if he repeated himself enough, he would actually start to believe it.</p><p>Maybe.</p><p>"Um, those things are still coming through!" Bucky said as he raised his rifle, picking off three of the half-burning war dogs in rapid succession. "We're not just gonna stand here and watch, are we?"</p><p>"Cap, these things are starting to circle around!" Bruce called from somewhere behind him. "I think they're trying to flank us!"</p><p>"Yeah, that's exactly what they're doing," Steve said as he turned to King T'Challa. "Your Highness? I really think we need to keep them in front of us."</p><p>General Okoye peaked over at Steve from around T'Challa. "And how do we do that?"</p><p>Steve's heart leapt into his throat as T'Challa frowned. "We open the barrier," he said, low and tight.</p><p>"My King!" exclaimed General Okoye. "We're going to allow those things free access to our lands?"</p><p>"If we want to concentrate the fighting in one place, that's probably the best way," said Natasha. "It'll also bottleneck their advance, which should slow them down a bit."</p><p>"Yeah, 'cause they're having so much trouble getting through now," Clint muttered. "And I was hoping I'd actually get to keep some of my arrows this time."</p><p>"Oh, you know Tony'll just make you some new ones," said Natasha.</p><p>"Well, yeah," said Clint. "But still. I've kinda gotten attached to these."</p><p>"I think that's a good choice, Your Highness," said Steve. Creating a bottleneck would help to slow the enemy's advance, giving the team more time to pick them off.</p><p>"Very well," said T'Challa. He pressed his finger to his ear, contacting his security people. "At my signal, open northwest section seventeen."</p><p>"We need to do it now!" cried Bucky as he rapidly took out three more war dogs. He shot Steve a concerned glance as he swapped out his ammunition clip. "Стиви, these things aren't slowin' down at all!"</p><p>"Ah, requesting confirmation, my king?" asked T'Challa's guard. "You want us to open the barrier?"</p><p>T'Challa nodded, shooting Steve a furtive glance. "On my signal."</p><p>"All right," Steve said. "Buck, get ready."</p><p>"I've been ready!" Bucky answered as he shot another war dog right between its eyes, sending its flaming body skidding across the plain. "Let's get these bastards!"</p><p>Steve's heart lurched as T'Challa called out a command to his warriors, all of whom instantly stood at attention. Then he stepped forward three steps, planting his feet as Steve joined him, shield at the ready.</p><p>He briefly wondered if T'Challa was somehow enhanced. He'd done some digging into the Wakandan culture and history after their initial meeting in Namibia, and while SHIELD's files on the country were woefully brief, there were a few mentions of something called the Heart-Shaped Herb that was supposedly sacred to carrying the mantle of the Black Panther.</p><p>Now wasn't really the time to ask such a question, though. Not when the force shield was preparing to open, allowing Thanos' war dogs free reign to enter Wakanda.</p><p>"Wakanda forever!" T'Challa yelled, just before crossing his forearms in front of his chest in the traditional Wakandan salute. Bright silver-coloured claws emerged from the tips of his fingers as his helmet closed over his head, shaped to resemble a black panther.</p><p>"Here we go," Steve said under his breath as T'Challa took off running. A heartbeat later Steve took off as well, matching T'Challa stride for stride as the entire plain filled with the sound of thundering footsteps, drowning out the hair-raising snarl of the war dogs.</p><p>They were about two-thirds of the way there when T'Challa raised his hand, giving the order to open the shield. Blue streaks of the Wakandan spear fire accompanied by the occasional arrow shot past Steve as the shield slowly drew back like a curtain and the war dogs began streaming through, tripping over themselves in their haste to get inside.</p><p>There was no turning back now.</p><p>Three strides later, his lungs already burning from exertion, Steve reached the bank of a small, shallow river. He felt another arrow whiz by his left side as he leaped across it, swinging his right arm at a jumping war dog's head before he even had a chance to land.</p><p>"Protect the stone!" Steve heard T'Challa call into his comm as he landed across the river, followed immediately by a burst of purple energy that took out at least five of the war dogs. "Shuri, make sure the stone is protected!"</p><p>"I will, brother!" Steve heard her respond as he slammed his shield into another war dog's head, then immediately curled behind it as James opened fire above him, sending a burst of machine-gun fire pelting onto the ground. A second later Bruce landed next to him, his massive metal fists swinging wildly just as Bucky's rifle was slapped right out of his hands by another war dog, one that then jumped right on top of him.</p><p>"Bucky!" Steve cried, twisting around just as another bubble of purple light burst from T'Challa's suit. Steve quickly jumped out of the way, his heart in his throat as he watched it take out at least a dozen of the war dogs before dissipating.</p><p>He'd have to ask Tony about that once all of this was over.</p><p>"I'm okay, Стиви," Bucky said sharply. "Don't need ya worryin' 'bout me"</p><p>Steve had just jumped back to his feet when he heard Sam cry out James's name. A second later something big and metal slammed into him, forcing him towards the ground. He managed to swerve slightly at the last second to break a bit of his fall, bouncing three or four times along the plain before skidding to a halt.</p><p>"James, are you okay?" Steve cried as he quickly scanned for Pietro. "Do you need evac?"</p><p>"No, no, I'm all right, Cap," James said, getting back to his feet just as Bruce landed next to him. "Just need a second or two to shake it off."</p><p>"All right." Sucking in a deep breath as Bruce took off again—it was very unnerving for Steve to see an Iron Man armour on the field that wasn't being piloted by Tony—Steve braced himself as he looked up, his jaw dropping as he saw the same alien that he and Tony had fought against in New York step through the deactivated shield, right next to the female alien they spoke with before the start of the battle.</p><p>Empire leaders coming to check on how their battle droids were faring.</p><p>"Oh no," Steve gasped as the massive alien drew back his arm and launched his huge metal hammer at Bruce, knocking him off-balance just as an entire herd of the war dogs attacked him. Bruce cried out as he was driven to the ground, the snarling animals unrelenting as they bit and clawed at the red and gold armour.</p><p>"Bruce!" Steve yelped, ducking to avoid a war dog that launched for his neck only to be hit from behind by another, slamming him against a jagged boulder so hard that it knocked all the air from his lungs. Panic instantly welled up inside Steve, as it always did whenever he couldn't breathe, and for a moment he was completely frozen, unable to even raise his shield as at least five of the war dogs jumped on top of him, biting and tearing their way through his uniform.</p><p><em>Maybe I should've worn the nanite suit</em>, Steve thought as he twisted onto the plain, ducking his head as he brought his knees up to his chest. He had chosen to wear one of his regular uniforms before the team left for Wakanda, thinking that he would be more comfortable, but was now regretting that decision. While his nanite uniform wasn't exactly armour like Tony's, it was definitely more resistant to teeth and claws than the uniform he was wearing.</p><p>
  <em>Tony's gonna be so mad at me.</em>
</p><p>"Стив!" Steve suddenly heard Bucky yell, barely audible through the blood rushing past his ears, punctuated by the growl of the war dogs and near-constant machine-gun fire. "Стиви, c'mon! You gotta get up!"</p><p>"I gotta get up," Steve said, the words so automatic that they almost seemed fake as he felt a set of sharp incisors break the skin of his right forearm, causing burning hot pain to shoot up the limb like an arrow. "I gotta get up!"</p><p>They were the very same words he had always said whenever he was knocked down.</p><p>"Cap!" Clint called from somewhere else, high-pitched and frightened. "Cap, we're getting overrun!"</p><p>"There's just too many of them!" Bruce yelped as he was brought down by another herd of war dogs, his metal arms and legs writhing in the dirt.</p><p>"Стиви!" Bucky yelled again, his voice now laced with the very same panic that was threatening to pull Steve under, holding him under the freezing cold water until all of the air was pushed out of his lungs, and he had no choice but to give in.</p><p>No choice but to drown.</p><p><em>I can't! </em>he thought desperately. <em>I gotta get up!</em></p><p>
  <em>They won't be expecting me to get up, so I gotta do it.</em>
</p><p>Because no bully ever expects its prey to get back up again, not when he's been knocked down over, and over, and over…</p><p>"C'mon, Rogers," Steve said through clenched teeth. Another claw pierced his side right below his sketchbook pocket, forcing Steve to bite down on his bottom lip. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon—"</p><p>Suddenly, a beam of light as bright as a thousand suns burst down from the sky, landing on the battlefield about fifty or so metres away. Stunned war dogs shot out from all directions, yelping in dismay and forcing Steve's attackers to pause just long enough for him to see what appeared to be a massive axe shoot its way out the bottom.</p><p>"What?" he managed, watching in awe as the axe began zig-zagging its way across the plain, taking out every single group of war dogs in its path. Steve ducked as the axe passed over his body, gulping in relief as he pushed himself up onto his elbows just in time to see Thor land on the ground, surrounded by crackling bolts of lightning. As the lightning faded, two more beings landed on either side of Thor; a huge raccoon standing on its hind legs and holding a rifle, and a… tree.</p><p>A tree with a face, arms, and legs. Like an Ent.</p><p>Apparently Thor wasn't dead after all. Not unless dead Norse gods could still travel by light beams and catch axes almost as tall as Peter.</p><p>"Ahahaha!" Steve heard from behind him, turning in a daze to find Bruce poking his head up out of his armour, laughing maniacally. "You guys are so screwed now!"</p><p>"Thor!" Steve practically squeaked as he finally scrambled up to his feet. But Thor paid him no attention as he began marching towards the two aliens still standing by the open force shield, picking up speed with each step as his companions took off after him.</p><p>"Bring me Thanos!" he yelled as he suddenly shot up into the air, surrounded by blinding bolts of lightning. It seemed as though the entire country shook when he landed, the head of his axe slamming down onto the plain and sending most of the rest of the war dogs flying.</p><p>"Hoo boy, talk about timing!" Clint said over the comm, echoing exactly what Steve was thinking. "I think we might actually have a shot now!"</p><p>"No kidding, Mr Optimistic," said Natasha as she got to her feet a few metres away from Steve, brushing dirt from her uniform. "Now, let's finish this!"</p><p>"Copy that," Steve said, his voice thankfully almost back to normal. "We're not done here yet."</p><p>Because they weren't. Despite Thor's epic entrance, the battle was not yet won.</p><p>But now, Steve believed they at least had a fighting chance.</p><hr/><p><em>Holy crap! </em>Peter thought as his mind quickly calculated Dr Strange's odds of their success, which were a measly 0.00001429%.</p><p>Not exactly what he would call in their favour.</p><p>
  <em>Holy shit! What're we gonna do?</em>
</p><p>Peter watched through wide eyes as his father's face, already that sickly greyish colour it got whenever he was really scared, paled even more, and he gulped as he reached behind him, searching for Peter.</p><p>"Dad, I'm right here," Peter said softly, giving Dad's hand a quick squeeze. "I'm fine."</p><p>"Yeah, well, you stay close to me, understand?" Dad said. "I wanna be able to see you at all times, no matter what else is going on."</p><p>"Uh huh," said Peter. "But I'm fine, and I really think we should be more worried about how we're gonna get the stupid glove off of the monster guy." He glanced over at Dr Strange, who seemed to be regaining his composure. "Do you have any idea when Thanos is gonna show up?"</p><p>"It won't be long now," answered Dr Strange, in a much kinder voice than he'd spoken with Peter before. "We need to prepare."</p><p>"All right," Peter said. "How?"</p><p>Dr Strange shot Dad a questioning look. "This plan of yours relies on the element of surprise, does it not?"</p><p>"Well, yeah. That's the theory, at least," said Dad.</p><p>"I believe that is the only thing that will work," agreed Gamora.</p><p>"Very well. Then I would suggest that we spread out—"</p><p>"You mean, hide?" asked Quill, earning a sharp elbow to the ribs from Gamora.</p><p>"Of course he means hide, Peter!"</p><p>"Yes, I mean hide," continued Dr Strange. "We should hide so that when Thanos arrives, I'm the only person he sees. The rest of you should be placed at strategic points so as to be able to launch the attack simultaneously."</p><p>"Ahh, that means all at the same time, right?" asked Quill.</p><p>"Yeah, it does," Dad said with a sigh. "All right. Sounds good so far."</p><p>"Once we're able to immobilise Thanos, I will teleport Mantis down so she can put him to sleep, as she says," Dr Strange continued. "It will then be up to all of us to remove the gauntlet from Thanos' hand as soon as possible."</p><p>"And then you'll launch it into space, right?" Peter asked.</p><p>Dr Strange gave a nod. "That's right."</p><p>"All right, that's all well and good, but then what about Thanos himself?" Dad asked. "From what you guys said, even without the gauntlet he still packs a wallop, right?"</p><p>Peter let out a soft chuckle at Dad's words. "Packs a wallop" was something he'd heard Papa say a ton of times over the years, but he'd never heard Dad say it until now.</p><p>
  <em>It's okay, Dad. I miss him too.</em>
</p><p>"Yes, that's correct," said Gamora. "So it'll be even more important for Mantis to maintain her hold on him until after we get the gauntlet off."</p><p>"Can she keep it up for that long?" Dad asked.</p><p>"She's going to have to," answered Dr Strange. "As I'm sure you've all already realised, Thanos' resolve to obtain the Time Stone will be formidable, which means we absolutely cannot underestimate him. With the Time Stone in hand, Thanos can manipulate time to his heart's content, no matter what the outcome of the rest of the battle down on Earth."</p><p>"Well, that's a comfort," muttered Dad. "Why don't you try telling us something that we don't know?"</p><p>"I'm just informing you, Stark, that Thanos will be a more difficult challenge than even the technomage who brought us here," said Dr Strange. "Which means we must be prepared."</p><p>"And we will," Dad stated. "The only thing I require is that Pete needs to stay close to me. We know how to work together, and I need to keep an eye on him."</p><p>"What? Why?" demanded Quill. "I don't need you to keep any eyes on me! I'm still not even sure that I like you!"</p><p>"Oh Christ, I'm not talking about you, you idiot!" Dad snapped, shooting Quill a harsh glare. "I'm talking about my <em>son!"</em></p><p>"His son who's named Peter, Peter," added Gamora. "Remember?"</p><p>Understanding dawned on Quill's face, and he winced in Gamora's direction. "Oh, yeah. Sorry."</p><p>"Dad, I'm gonna be fine," Peter said quietly. "You don't need to watch over me."</p><p>"Except that's not something currently up for debate, buddy," Dad retorted. "Deal with it."</p><p>"Hmph," muttered Peter. "Fine."</p><p>"Both Starks can take up elevated positions," Dr Strange said. "The rest can then spread out along the ground. I'll be waiting in plain sight, as when Thanos arrives he will no doubt be drawn directly towards the stone."</p><p>"Yeah, that sounds reasonable," Dad said, his hand firmly on Peter's shoulder. "Then we'll all converse on your signal."</p><p>"Hey, wait a minute, this is my plan! I should be making the final decisions!" protested Quill. He tilted his head, eyeing Dr Strange quizzically. "Okay, I like it."</p><p>Dad rolled his eyes. "Well, thank God for that. So why don't we all take our positions, yeah?"</p><p>"Sounds good," said Peter, just as Quill leaned over to him.</p><p>"So," he said in a loud whisper. "That dude in the red suit who keeps trying to give me orders, that's your dad?"</p><p>"Yeah," Peter whispered back. "He's Iron Man."</p><p>"And he's one of the Avengers? The guys Thor told us about?"</p><p>"Ah, yep," Peter said, squaring his shoulders. "And so am I."</p><p>Quill stepped back, looking Peter up and down. "You are? What's your name?"</p><p>"I'm Spider-Man," Peter said proudly.</p><p>"Spider-Man? Why'd your dad name you Spider-Man? Does he not like you or something?"</p><p>"Huh?" Peter asked, confused. "No, he named me Peter. I named me Spider-Man. It's my superhero name, just like yours is Star-Lord."</p><p>"Oh, really?" Quill said with a wide smile. "My real name's Peter too!"</p><p>
  <em>Um…</em>
</p><p>"Pete! Let's get moving!" Dad called as he took off towards the top of a destroyed building. "Time to get into position!"</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter said as his mask closed over his head. He quickly shot out a web, swinging into position almost directly above Dr Strange. "I'm ready, Dad."</p><p>"Copy that," said Dad. "And keep your eyes open. You'll probably be the first one to see Thanos when he gets here."</p><p>"Got it," Peter said as the rest of their so-called team took their positions. "I'll be watching."</p><p>They hadn't been waiting long when Peter felt the wind suddenly pick up near the surface, throwing huge clouds of red dust into the already thick, stale air. A few seconds later the red dust gave way to a bluish-black portal, out of which stepped a giant purple dude.</p><p>Thanos had arrived.</p><p>
  <em>Oh my God!</em>
</p><p>Peter wasn't quite sure what he'd been expecting Thanos to look like, but he did know that this wasn't quite it. For one thing, he was purple, completely bald, with his chin covered in deep horizontal creases and his cheeks criss-crossed with either scars or age lines, Peter couldn't quite tell which. He was dressed in a metal and leather chestplate and boots that reminded Peter of the armour worn by horsemen during medieval times.</p><p>And right there, worn proudly on his left arm, was the gauntlet. Golden in colour, it was embossed with four coloured stones set in a line across Thanos' knuckles. Purple for the Power Stone, blue for the Space Stone, red for the Reality Stone, yellow for the Mind Stone.</p><p>Peter's heart started to thud as Thanos stepped away from the vanishing portal, his rather small, beady eyes scanning the area. Given the dude's size, which was considerable, Peter estimated that he was at least as strong as Hulk. Which, based on what Uncle Bruce had told Peter about Hulk's fight against Abomination, was definitely <em>not</em> good.</p><p>"Steady, Pete," Dad said over the comm. "Follow the plan."</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter whispered, gulping. "I know."</p><p>As Thanos' eyes swept across the ruins of the planet, he let out a low growl, his already nasty-looking face transforming into a deep scowl as he drew his gauntlet-covered fingers into a tight fist.</p><p>"Oh, yeah," said Dr Strange from his perch at the top of a stone staircase, about ten or so metres away. "You're much more of a Thanos."</p><p>Creeping close to the edge of his spot, Peter slowly peeked over, careful to not disturb any loose debris.</p><p>"Pete, not yet," Dad whispered. "Stand by."</p><p>"Yeah, I know," answered Peter. "I'm just looking."</p><p>Stepping closer to Dr Strange, Thanos smiled slightly. "I take it the Maw is dead?"</p><p>Dr Strange nodded once.</p><p>"Hmm," said Thanos as he took another step. "This day extracts a heavy toll. Still, he accomplished his mission."</p><p>"You may regret that," said Dr Strange, laced with arrogance. "Your technomage brought you face-to-face with a Master of the Mystic Arts."</p><p>"Ha," Thanos scoffed. "And where do you think he brought you?"</p><p>Dr Strange looked up at a pile of dust-covered debris. "Oh, let me guess. Your home?"</p><p>Thanos paused, a smile stretching across his lips that was so full of irony and sarcasm that it made Peter's belly swoop.</p><p>"Yes," he said as he raised his left arm, the red Reality Stone glowing brightly. Peter gasped as the landscape suddenly began to change, displaying a beautiful, thriving planet, rich with plants and wildlife, the sky a beautiful blue to match the nearby lake.</p><p>"And it was beautiful," Thanos continued. "But Titan was like most planets; too many mouths, not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution."</p><p>"Genocide," said Dr Strange.</p><p>"If that's what you call it," replied Thanos. "But random. Dispassionate, so no one could buy or bribe their way out of it. Fair to rich and poor alike. And instead of thanking me, they called me a madman. And then, what I predicted came to pass." He lowered his arm, the mirage of a beautiful Titan disappearing to reveal the very real ruins where they now hid.</p><p>"Congratulations," Dr Strange said, cold and biting. "You're a prophet."</p><p>"I'm a survivor," Thanos said plainly.</p><p>"Who wants to murder trillions," added Dr Strange.</p><p>"With all six stones I could simply snap my fingers, and they would all cease to exist," stated Thanos. "I call that… mercy."</p><p>"Oh my <em>God!"</em> Peter said on a gasp. "Dad, are you hearing this? This guy… he's just—just—!"</p><p>"He's loony, Pete," Dad interrupted. "Simple as that. Even more messed up than HYDRA."</p><p>"Yeah!" Peter said with wide eyes. "I mean… <em>how?</em> How can anyone even <em>think</em> that something like this is—?"</p><p>"Pete, we can't worry about that now, yeah?" Dad warned. "Just try and stay focused on what we're doing."</p><p>Peter nodded, creeping impossibly closer to the edge of the incline he was crouched on.</p><p>"And then what?" Dr Strange asked Thanos as he got to his feet. "After the snap?"</p><p>"I finally rest. Watch the sun rise on a grateful universe," answered Thanos, and Peter could've sworn that he looked almost sad. "The hardest choices require the strongest wills."</p><p>Narrowing his eyes, Peter watched as Dr Strange clapped his forearms together, generating his sparkling golden shields. "I think you'll find our will equal to yours!"</p><p>"Our?" Thanos said, looking up towards the sky in surprise just in time to watch Dad slam several stories of a destroyed building right on top of him.</p><p>"Got it!" said Dad. "Piece of cake, Quill!"</p><p>"Yeah, if your goal was to piss him off!" cried Quill as he activated his Flash Gordon helmet. As soon as it was in place he took off, aiming for Thanos just as the building covering him exploded into a huge, purple fireball. Thanos' indignant roar echoed across the desolate plain, forcing Peter to slap his hands over his ears until his mask was able to modify itself to better block out the sound. As soon as he freed himself from the rubble, Thanos raised his left arm, the glowing stone shifting purple to red as he launched pieces of the building—that somehow had turned into giant evil bats—towards Dad at the speed of a rocket.</p><p>"No!" Peter cried as he swooped down from his perch, launching his webs at Thanos' face. The webs landed across Thanos' eyes, disorientating him enough to allow Peter to kick him hard in the head as he swung across. A second later Drax and Gamora jumped from their hiding places, Gamora drop-kicking Thanos in the head as Drax struck him hard in the legs.</p><p>"That is for my wife and daughter!" Drax yelled as Thanos ripped the webs from his face, launching them so hard at Gamora that they sent her flying. Dr Strange quickly conjured some kind of mystical sword, swinging it at Thanos' head as Quill swooped off to the side, catching Gamora just before she would've slammed into a big pile of rocks.</p><p>"Pete, stay back!" Dad cried as he flew back into range. "Webs only!"</p><p>"But that's not gonna be enough!" Peter yelled as Quill began bouncing his way back towards Thanos on magic floating circles thrown by Dr Strange, landing one of his magnetic explosive devices onto Thanos' back.</p><p>"Boom, asshole!" Quill said as he flipped Thanos the bird, back diving into one of Dr Strange's portals just before the device exploded. Peter quickly took advantage of Thanos' disorientation to jump through another portal, bringing both of his feet down onto his head.</p><p>"Magic!" Peter said as he disappeared into another portal, emerging to find the maroon cloak wrapping itself around the gauntlet.</p><p>"More magic!" Peter said as he landed another blow, disappearing just as fast. <em>I could get used to this!</em> "Magic with a kick!"</p><p>But on the very next pass, Thanos managed to rip the cloak from his hand and grab Peter around the neck, slamming him onto the ground.</p><p>"Insect!" Thanos snarled as he pushed Peter into the thick red clay that covered the ground. Peter gasped, kicking and squirming as he tried to loosen Thanos' death grip on his windpipe.</p><p>"Spiders are not insects!" he wheezed as he broke free. With a snarl, Thanos then picked him up by the shoulders, launching him directly at Dr Strange, knocking him flat.</p><p>"You all right?" Dr Strange asked as he scrambled up, offering Peter a hand just as Dad came zooming back in, rapid-firing missiles from the back of his armour, engulfing Thanos in a massive orange fireball. But only a second later Peter's relief turned to shock as he watched Thanos somehow absorb the fireball into the gauntlet and shoot it right back towards his father.</p><p>"Dad, look out!" Peter screamed as he took off running, jumping towards Thanos and capturing his left hand with a web, pulling against the gauntlet with all of his strength. "You're just nothing but a big huge bully! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"</p><p>Enraged, Thanos jerked the gauntlet down, yanking Peter from his feet and sending him careening across the landscape just as a ship crashed down to the ground right on top of Thanos, bouncing along the surface before skidding to a halt about twenty-five metres away.</p><p>"Oh God!" Peter exclaimed. He had no idea who could possibly be on that ship, but he was really, <em>really</em> hoping it wasn't another one of Thanos' goons.</p><p>One enemy was apparently all they could handle at the moment. And then only barely.</p><p>"Pete, you all right?" Dad called from somewhere on the opposite side of the ship. "I can't see you!"</p><p>"Yeah, I'm okay!" answered Peter, watching in shock as a blue-skinned android jumped out of the wrecked ship, pulling two arm-length knives from her belt.</p><p>"Nebula, be careful!" Gamora called from somewhere behind Peter. "Look out—!"</p><p>"Well, well!" Thanos barked. "Look who's here!"</p><p>"Too bad you didn't kill me when you had the chance!" yelled the android—Nebula, apparently.</p><p>"It would've been a waste of parts!" Thanos snapped as he swung his massive fist, sending Nebula sailing backwards right into Gamora's arms. A second later Dr Strange conjured up a set of long, red ropes, wrapping them around Thanos' hand in an attempt to force him to open his fist.</p><p>"Don't let him close his fist!" Gamora yelled.</p><p>"Yeah, the stones only work with his fist closed!" added Quill. "Gotta keep it open!"</p><p>Dr Strange rolled his eyes, pulling hard on his set of shimmering ropes. "Whenever you're ready, Stark!"</p><p>"Copy that!" said Dad as Peter launched one of his splitter webs at Thanos' chest. As soon as it latched, Peter jumped behind him, trying to hold him in place long enough for Dr Strange to get his hand open. Peter jumped as his spider-legs deployed again, helping him keep his footing as Quill suddenly flew in, attaching one of his cool electrical devices to Thanos' other hand.</p><p>"That's it!" Quill said as Dad landed next to Thanos, looking up as Dr Strange raised his arms towards the sky and opened another portal, allowing Mantis to drop right onto Thanos' shoulders.</p><p>"Hurry!" cried Mantis as Thanos let out a hair-raising howl. "He is very strong!"</p><p>"Okay, okay, just don't let up," Dad said as he took hold of the gauntlet. "Pete? Need your help here, buddy!"</p><p>"Uh huh!" Securing his web, Peter grabbed onto Thanos' fingers, grunting as he tried to get them to uncurl. "We gotta get his fist open!"</p><p>"Yes, I know that, Pete," Dad said in his <em>duh</em> voice. "Just keep going, you're doing great."</p><p>"Not so strong now, are ya, asshole?" Quill taunted as he and Gamora landed next to Thanos. "For the record, this was <em>my </em>plan. Did you hear me? This was the boyfriend's plan!"</p><p>"Peter, now's not the time for that," Gamora warned as he glanced down at Thanos' immobilised right hand. "Let's not do anything—"</p><p>But she was cut off by another ear-splitting howl from Thanos, nearly causing Peter to scream right along with him. His senses were already stretched so thin they were nearly at the breaking point, even with his adaptive suit, and he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to keep going.</p><p>And then, as if they needed even more to worry about, his Spider Sense activated.</p><p>"Dad!" he said. "Something's gonna happen. I can't—I can't—!"</p><p>"It's all right, Pete," Dad said quickly as Gamora stepped closer to Thanos, a rather triumphant smile on her face. "Just keep going!"</p><p>"How does it feel, <em>Father?</em>" Gamora sneered. "How does it feel to have your grand master plan thwarted, hmm?"</p><p>"He wouldn't know, sister," said Nebula. "He doesn't have any feelings."</p><p>Quill barked out a laugh as he stepped up next to Gamora. "Oh yeah, that's a good one. 'Cause it's completely right. There's not a single ounce of feeling inside this massive, ugly-as-hell body of yours, is there? Or at least not for anything besides genocidal mania!"</p><p>"Quill, please! Don't!" Peter said, gasping as another ice bolt raced down his spine. He tightened his grip on the gauntlet, trying to ignore his sensations of impending doom as he noticed that the electronic device holding Thanos' right hand was starting to wobble. "Please, you gotta stop!"</p><p>But Quill either didn't hear Peter, or simply chose to ignore him. "Answer me, you asshole!" Quill yelled, spittle flying from his mouth. "How's it feel, huh? How's it feel?"</p><p>Peter shuddered as another bolt shot down his spine, the electronic wobble increasing. "Dad, please! This isn't good! You've gotta—!"</p><p>"Damnit Quill, just keep your flytrap shut!" Dad yelled. "Stand down! We've almost got this off!"</p><p>"Ah!" Peter cried, another ice bolt rocketing down his back just as Thanos' right arm broke free, his fingers immediately wrapping around Gamora's neck.</p><p>"I'll tell you how it feels!" Thanos rasped as Mantis cried out from her perch on his shoulders. "It feels like this!"</p><p>"Gamora!" Quill shrieked as Thanos lifted a struggling Gamora off the ground, scrabbling desperately at his fingers around her throat. Quill reached for his blaster, slamming the hilt into Thanos' chest. "Let her go, you son of a bitch! Let her go!"</p><p>"I'm losing him!" Mantis cried as Thanos' bared his teeth, his clouded-over eyes narrowing at Gamora's twitching body.</p><p>"Quill, goddamnit, you've gotta stop!" Dad yelled as his helmet disappeared. "Stand down, we're still trying to get this off!"</p><p>"Dad, I almost got it!" Peter exclaimed as Dad released the gauntlet to grab Quill's arm, trying to drag him away. The gauntlet was sliding, the end of it almost to Thanos' fingers. "I almost got it, I almost got it!"</p><p>"Too late!" Thanos suddenly growled, catching the gauntlet just before it would've passed over his fingertips. Launching Gamora and Dad off to opposite sides, he immediately grabbed onto Mantis's leg, throwing her from his shoulders. Then he ripped off Dr Strange's ropes and leaped towards Peter, grabbing him around the neck.</p><p>"Pete!" Peter heard Dad cry as he flailed his legs, his fingers clawing at Thanos' hand as his spider legs deployed, trying to pull him out of Thanos' grip.</p><p>"Time to squash the spider!" Thanos sneered as Dad flew towards them, only to be knocked backwards by the purple Power Stone, slamming him into Drax and Dr Strange.</p><p>"Dad!" Peter choked out, his vision already transforming into the honeycomb-like state it assumed when he could no longer keep his focus. "Dad, help!"</p><p>"Pete! Hang on buddy!" Dad yelled as more missiles launched from his suit, assuming the Jericho formation that he'd once been so proud of. "I'm coming!"</p><p>"No!" Peter squawked as panic washed over him like a wave. His eyes were completely useless now, his hearing dulled by blood rushing past his ears. He hadn't had a full-on asthma attack since Afghanistan, but suddenly the memories of how he had almost died in the middle of that desert came rushing back, only increasing his panic.</p><p>His lungs so full they were near to bursting. Not able to breathe out.</p><p>
  <em>Daddy, help me! I can't breathe!</em>
</p><p>And his father's pleas, sounding like they were a million miles away.</p><p>
  <em>Please, don't leave me, buddy! You just gotta breathe!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But I can't! Daddy, I can't—</em>
</p><p>"Strange!" Dad screamed as he was once again repelled by the glowing purple stone. "Strange, you gotta do something! He's gonna kill my boy!"</p><p>Thanos sneered, his ugly purple nose only a few centimetres away from Peter's. "Your boy, huh?" he said as he raised the gauntlet towards the sky, triggering something that sounded like an avalanche of rocks thundering down onto the planet. "Let's see how he likes losing a child!"</p><p>"Strange, <em>please!"</em> Dad screamed, his words interspersed with repulsor fire. "He's gonna kill him!"</p><p>"Stop!" Dr Strange suddenly shouted, holding up his shaking right hand. He stepped over to Thanos, his expression a mixture of defeat and determination as pieces of the moon Thanos had literally just pulled from the sky continued to crash to the ground. Peter was barely still conscious, his fingers curled tightly around Thanos' wrist.</p><p>"Spare his life, and I will give you the stone."</p><p><em>What!? </em>Peter thought, his dazed mind barely able to wrap around exactly what Dr Strange was proposing. <em>But if we give up the stone, then we'll—then we'll—!</em></p><p>
  <em>Then we'll lose!</em>
</p><p>"No! Don't!" Peter croaked as Thanos' head whipped towards the wizard, his grip loosening ever-so-slightly as he eyed Dr Strange.</p><p>"Spare the son of Stark, and you will give me the stone," he said. "No tricks, wizard."</p><p>Dr Strange shook his head as Dad landed next to him, his shaking arms already reaching for Peter.</p><p>"How the hell do you know me?" he asked.</p><p>The slightest hint of a smile stretched across Thanos' wrinkled lips. "You're not the only one cursed with knowledge."</p><p>"Daddy!" Peter pleaded, his voice barely a whisper. "Daddy, please! Don't!"</p><p>"No tricks," Dr Strange said, sending Peter's heart to his knees. Through tear-filled eyes, he watched as Dr Strange reached his scarred, shaking right hand up towards the sky, his thumb and forefinger closing around an invisible barrier he'd created around the stone in order to hide it amongst the stars. The stone glowed green as it moved, Strange's eyes flicking towards Dad as he released it.</p><p>And just like that, they had lost.</p><p>With a triumphant huff, Thanos released Peter, who immediately collapsed into a heap on the ground, his legs as weak as a newborn baby's as he sucked the stale air into his starved lungs. Not even a second later Dad was at his side, pulling Peter into his lap and hugging him close.</p><p>"It's okay, buddy. I've got you," Dad said, over and over. "It's all over now. Oh God, Pete, I thought I was gonna lose you!"</p><p>Peter nodded, his entire chest feeling like it was on fire. "Yeah, but Dad, Dr Strange, he just gave Thanos the Time Stone! Doesn't that mean that we lost?"</p><p>"Right now I really don't give a damn, Pete," Dad stated, his armoured fingers combing through Peter's messy hair. "We can figure something else out."</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter said, even as he feared it might be pointless as Thanos placed the Time Stone into its spot on the gauntlet. Crackles of blinding white lightning engulfed him as soon as it locked into place, spreading across his massive chest and down his arms as he let out a triumphant roar.</p><p>And then, before anyone could move or even react, Thanos opened up one of his portals and disappeared in a cloud of billowing dust, leaving the eight of them stranded on Titan.</p><p>"Um… did we just lose?" Quill asked, his right arm tight around Gamora's shoulders.</p><p>Dad flinched, his arms tightening around Peter as he looked over at Dr Strange. "If anyone would know, it'd be him."</p><p>"We're in the endgame now," said Dr Strange. "And if I tell you what happens, it won't happen." Then he let out a heavy sigh, reassuming his <em>om </em>position.</p><p>"All we can do now, is wait."</p><hr/><p>As much as Steve wished that Thor's dramatic entrance would have marked the end of the battle, it was not to be. The war dogs just kept coming, backed by the two huge aliens who were now marching among them, the male alien's hammer flying every which direction as Steve swung and punched and batted and leaped and twisted and ducked until he was certain that his body was simply going to come unglued.</p><p>He was so exhausted that he didn't know how he was still even breathing, much less moving.</p><p>"Die, space dogs!" he heard from somewhere off to his left, turning to find Bucky holding the raccoon by its scruff as they both shot with their rifles.</p><p><em>Well, that's not quite the weirdest thing I've ever seen, </em>he thought as Thor landed a few metres away, grunting as he swung his giant axe at the seemingly endless incoming targets. After a particularly violent swing he noticed Steve, greeting him with a polite nod.</p><p>"Ah, Captain," he said as he casually took out another war dog. "So good to see you again!"</p><p>"Ah, yeah," answered Steve. "We heard you were dead!"</p><p>"Ah, I'm afraid the reports of my demise were greatly exaggerated," Thor said as he swung again, sending two war dogs careening into a third. Then he paused, tilting his head. "That is how the saying goes, is it not? Starkson told it to me, but for the life of me I cannot recall the exact wording."</p><p>Steve barked out a laugh. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's something like that."</p><p>"Oh, and please allow me to introduce my new friend here," Thor said, indicating the walking tree. "This is Tree."</p><p>The tree turned its head, nodding in Steve's direction just as its right arm—branch?—extended, spearing four of the war dogs clear through their bodies.</p><p>"I am Groot!" he said.</p><p>"Um, hi," Steve said, pressing his palm to his chest. "I am Steve Rogers."</p><p><em>Okay, now </em>that <em>might be the weirdest thing I've ever seen.</em></p><p>"Do you happen to know where I can find Thanos?" Thor asked, grunting with another swing of his axe. "I would like to have an impolite conversation with him."</p><p>"Ah, no," Steve said, the dread he'd been trying to stamp down suddenly welling back up. Thanos' absence from their battlefield could only mean that he'd chosen to follow the Time Stone first, which meant—</p><p>
  <em>Oh, God! Please, let them be okay!</em>
</p><p>"Tony and Peter were taken away from Earth in pursuit of the Time Stone," he continued. "So if I had to guess, I'd say that Thanos decided to go after it first."</p><p>Thor's face turned grim, his hand gripping his axe handle with white knuckles. "Thanos killed my brother," he said through clenched teeth. "So I am uncertain if Stark and Starkson will be formidable enough to prevent Thanos from obtaining the Time Stone."</p><p>Steve gasped, fear hitting him in the chest like a spear. Thor had seen Thanos up close, had already fought against him and lost. And if he, an actual god, and Hulk, the strongest creature that Steve had ever seen couldn't beat him, then how in the world could Tony and Peter?</p><p>He had just opened his mouth to attempt to speak when Sam came over the comm.</p><p>"Cap, we've got new incoming!" he cried as he swooped overhead, his dual guns blazing. "Looks like goddamn garden rotors!"</p><p>"What?" Steve said, looking up just in time to see what appeared to be a row of giant, razor-sharp clock gears burrow their way under the ground outside the force shield, only to reappear on the inside a few seconds later.</p><p>"Fall back!" T'Challa ordered his warriors. "Fall back now!"</p><p>"Sam, focus your fire on the left flank!" James called as he came up on the thing's right side. "Take it out!"</p><p>"I'm doing it!" replied Sam. "That thing's too strong for these bullets!"</p><p>"Steve, we gotta let Wanda help!" Natasha called. "She can take those things out!"</p><p>Steve huffed, hesitating. While Wanda and Pietro had been official Avengers for a while now, they were still so young—only about three years older than Peter—that he'd been hesitant to put them on the front lines.</p><p>"Cap, Nat's right," added Clint. "Let's at least let her try."</p><p>"All right," Steve said after a heartbeat's pause. "Nat, you stay with her. Don't let her out of your sight, you got that? And I want Pietro standing by. At the first sign of trouble, he gets her right outta there, understood?"</p><p>"You don't have to tell me that, Steve," said Natasha. "And she's gonna be fine."</p><p>"I understand, Captain," said Pietro.</p><p>"Good," said Steve. "Then you have a go."</p><p>"Copy that!" Natasha said as she and Wanda took off running towards the huge machine, followed by General Okoye. Ducking underneath a leaping war dog, Steve's heart fluttered as Wanda suddenly levitated into the air, bright red peals of light emanating from her hands.</p><p>"Take it out, Wanda!" Natasha cried as Wanda landed directly in front of the churning gears, pushing the red light underneath them. A heartbeat later the gears lifted off the ground, separating in the air before each of them slammed back down directly on top of a herd of war dogs.</p><p>"Why was she back there all this time?" Steve heard General Okoye ask.</p><p>"Nice going, Wanda," Steve said. "Keep it up."</p><p>"I will, Captain," replied Wanda. "Thank you."</p><p>"Steve, something else is happening!" Bruce suddenly cried, clomping to a halt a few metres behind Steve, where the wind had mysteriously started to swirl, churning up dirt and leaves in its wake. "Oh God, he's coming!"</p><p>"What?" Steve said, whipping his head around just in time to see what appeared to be a black hole forming near the destroyed force shield. Instinctively, he raised his shield, his heart jumping into his throat as he waited to see what he hoped he was wrong about.</p><p>Unfortunately, he wasn't wrong.</p><p>Because not a second later a huge purple being stepped through the black hole, his left hand and forearm covered with a golden gauntlet embossed with five coloured stones.</p><p>
  <em>Oh. My. God.</em>
</p><p>"Steve," Bruce said grimly. "That's him."</p><p>Gulping, Steve nodded, wiping the grime and sweat from his eyes as he tried to think of what to do next.</p><p>"All right, everyone on my position," he said. "Eyes up. Stay sharp."</p><p>"Protect the stone!" T'Challa called as he leapt from the top of one of the destroyed gears. "We must protect the stone!"</p><p>But T'Challa had barely given his order when Thanos raised the gauntlet, the Reality Stone glowing a bright red as he curled his fingers into his palm. Stunned, Steve watched as the entire plain began to change, transforming the battlefield into something that resembled a post-apocalyptic fallout.</p><p>And right there, about fifty metres away from where the palace had once stood, was the Soul Stone, glinting bright orange in the rubble.</p><p>"No!" T'Challa screamed, bounding like a cat over to where the stone rested. "No, you cannot have it! That stone belongs to Wakanda!"</p><p>"Not anymore!" Thanos said as he raised the gauntlet again, the glowing stone jumping briefly from red to purple as he swung his arm, knocking T'Challa out of the way as easily as if he were a piece of paper.</p><p>"My King!" cried General Okoye as she rushed forward, only to be repelled in the same way. Steve was next, managing to knock Thanos' arm away with his shield just long enough to take a swing at his head. The blow was as strong as Steve could deliver, but it barely even registered with Thanos as he drew back his own right fist, punching Steve so hard across the face that for a moment he blacked out. He came to in a rush, barely able to blink his eyes open against the harsh white light beaming down from the tops of the trees.</p><p>"Thor?" he whispered as he tried to lift his head, dropping it back down when it immediately started to swim. He let out a pained groan as he slowly rolled onto his side, squeezing his eyes back closed as he tried to regain control of his senses.</p><p>Steve hadn't been hit that hard since… well… not since the fight against Bucky, back when he was the Winter Soldier. And not even Bucky had packed that much of a wallop.</p><p>"Thor?" he said again a few heartbeats later, peeling his eyelids open a fraction of a millimetre at a time. His ears were rumbling with the sound of rushing blood, but he still was able to hear the <em>whoosh</em> of Thor's giant axe as it flew down the light beam towards Thanos, and the sickening <em>thunk</em> as it then buried itself into Thanos' chest.</p><p>"Oh!" Steve said on a gasp, blinking as he watched Thor land in front of Thanos, his face filled with so much malice that he was almost unrecognisable.</p><p>"I told you you would die for that," Thor said, low and tight as he pushed the blade of his axe even further into Thanos' chest. Thanos let out a harsh cry of pain, one so terrible that Steve shivered.</p><p>It didn't matter, though. Against the almost overwhelming odds stacked against them, they had won.</p><p>"No," Thanos suddenly said, and Steve gasped as all of his blood froze, transforming his heart into a solid block of ice.</p><p>"You should've gone for the head."</p><p>And then, in spite of having a giant axe embedded in his chest, Thanos raised his gauntlet-covered left hand, embossed with all six of the glowing Infinity Stones, and snapped his fingers.</p><p>For a moment everything went white, and Steve briefly wondered if he had been transported somewhere else when the light suddenly disappeared, as quickly as it came.</p><p>"What?" Thor croaked, stepping back in shock. "What did you just do?"</p><p>But Thanos didn't answer. He simply raised the gauntlet, which was smoking, like it'd been burned onto his arm, and disappeared through one of his portals. Steve groaned, panting for breath as he pushed himself up to his feet, his legs screaming for mercy as he forced them to bear his weight.</p><p>"Thor?" he asked, clutching his side. "Where'd he go?"</p><p>When no reply came from the stunned god, Steve tried again.</p><p>"Thor? Where'd he go?"</p><p>Thor shook his head, staring down at the ground, where his axe had fallen once Thanos disappeared. Steve took another step towards him, preparing to shake an answer out of him if necessary when he heard Bucky's voice behind him.</p><p>"Стиви?" he said, more timid and frightened than Steve had ever heard him. In his right hand he carried his rifle, the rifle Tony had built for him, while his left—wasn't there.</p><p>"Bucky?" Steve said, whimpering as Bucky attempted to take a step towards him, only to fall flat on his face when his left leg broke apart like a dead leaf. Not three seconds later he was completely gone, nothing but a pile of ashes spread across the dirt.</p><p>His legs completely numb, Steve stumbled, crouching down onto the ground as he reached for the ashes that used to be his oldest friend. He looked up at Thor, tears already welling in his eyes.</p><p>"Thor, what just happened?" he whispered. "What—what—?"</p><p>From the battlefield behind him, Steve suddenly heard screams, each one piercing his body like a spear.</p><p>
  <em>Did we just… lose?</em>
</p><p>"Thor?" Steve asked again. "Thor, what just happened?"</p><p>Thor gulped, staring vacantly ahead. "I should've gone for the head."</p><hr/><p>"Strange, I'm telling you, we need to get going now!" Tony said, still holding Peter to his chest like he was afraid he might break. "You know Thanos is heading to Earth, he's probably already there! And Steve and the rest of the team need our help!"</p><p>"Dad, it's no use!" Peter said, his croaky, raspy voice like fingernails on a chalkboard on Tony's already frazzled nerves. "Dr Strange said he won't do it!"</p><p>"Then we need to get the ship up and running! Like five minutes ago already!" Tony exclaimed. "Quill, you got any tools on that ship of yours?"</p><p>"Huh?" Quill said, looking up from where he and Gamora were huddled together a few metres away. "What'd you say, Mr Man?"</p><p>Tony let out a frustrated growl. "I said, we need to fix your ship so we can get off this goddamn rock."</p><p>"There are tools aboard," said Gamora, tossing a wary glance over at Strange. "But I really don't think that—"</p><p>"Oh, you don't, hmm?" snapped Tony. "Well, that's just too damn bad."</p><p>"She does not believe it will do any good," Drax said softly. "Now that Thanos has the Time Stone, it does not matter how long it takes us to repair the ship."</p><p>"Which is why it would help if Mr Wizard here could just teleport us there instead!" Tony stated. He picked up a small rock and launched it towards Strange, grimacing as it hit some sort of personal deflection shield and bounced harmlessly away.</p><p>"What the fuck is wrong with you goddamn people!" Tony screamed, anguish hitting him the chest like a spear when Peter curled into a ball in his lap, his hands clasped tightly over his ears.</p><p>"Daddy, please!" he whimpered. "Please, don't yell! I can't—I can't take it!"</p><p>"Oh God, Pete, I'm so sorry," Tony whispered, his armoured fingertips massaging the back of Peter's neck. "Buddy, I'm sorry. I'm just worried about Papa, and—"</p><p>"Me too," Peter said, sniffing. "And I wanna get home too. But we're not gonna get anywhere if we just keep yelling back and forth."</p><p>"The boy is correct," said the blue girl—Nebula, if Tony was remembering correctly. Which was in no way a given at this point. "We should get to Earth, join in the fight."</p><p>"And go against the wizard's prediction?" asked Mantis.</p><p>"Yeah," Quill said. "What if us going to Earth is what causes us to lose?"</p><p>"We have no way of knowing that!" yelped Tony. "Absolutely none! Which means—!"</p><p>"You're right, we don't," said Gamora. "The wizard said there were only two possible outcomes where we would win, out of over fourteen million."</p><p>"Those odds are not good," said Drax.</p><p>"Oh, you think?" Tony retorted.</p><p>"But it also means that if the wizard's aware of how we win, and he's refusing to leave, then we should probably do the same," added Gamora.</p><p>"Yeah, well, it's not the wizard's husband who's down there fighting on his own now, is it. It's mine! And I'm gonna go help him!" Tony pushed himself up to his feet, bringing Peter with him. "C'mon, Pete. Let's see what we can do with this ship to get it going."</p><p>"Um… you—you didn't ask my permission!" protested Quill. "I didn't say you could use my ship!"</p><p>"No, you didn't! 'Cause I didn't ask!" Tony shot back.</p><p>"Wait!" Mantis said, her already freakishly-large eyes widening as she looked down at her arm. "Something—something's happening!"</p><p>Tony was so completely fried that he could practically smell colours, so he knew he wasn't exactly in the best mindset to process all of the weird-ass things that had happened in the last few minutes. That's why when Mantis suddenly began to disintegrate right before his eyes, Tony just assumed it was just some kind of funky remnant effect left over from the Reality Stone, or something like that.</p><p>"What the?" he heard Quill ask, slowly turning his head towards him. Quill's expression hadn't swayed too far from the <em>huh?</em> look he'd had for most of the battle, but Tony could tell he was genuinely surprised at what he was seeing.</p><p>And more than a bit frightened.</p><p>"Quill," Drax said a heartbeat later, just as shocked and frightened as Tony felt as he began to disintegrate, leaving nothing behind but a pile of blowing ashes in three seconds flat.</p><p>"Dad?" Peter asked, more timid than Tony had heard in a long time. "What's happening?"</p><p>Tony shook his head. "I don't—I don't know, Pete. I don't—"</p><p>"Oh, man," Quill said, his head tilting towards Gamora as he began to blow apart, his hand clinging to hers until the very last second.</p><p>"Peter! No!" Gamora cried as she stumbled backwards, barely able to keep herself from falling. She turned to look at Strange, her arms crossed over her abdomen. "What is happening?"</p><p>"Tony," Strange said, causing Tony to startle so hard that he bumped his nose on Peter's head. Slowly, he turned, catching Strange's eye just as he began to break apart. "There was no other way."</p><p>"What?" he said, squeezing Peter so hard that he grunted. But Strange was already gone, his final words lingering in the still-settling dust.</p><p>"<em>There was no other way."</em></p><p>
  <em>There was no other way.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But what the hell does that mean?</em>
</p><p>Swallowing hard, Tony turned back to Gamora, now sobbing on her knees over Quill's ashes. Clutching Peter impossibly tighter, he took one step towards her, halted in his tracks when Peter sucked in a sharp breath.</p><p>"Daddy," he said, so softly that Tony barely heard him. "I don't—I don't feel so good."</p><p>
  <em>Oh no. No, no, no, no, no.</em>
</p><p>"You're all right," Tony said, even as his stomach dropped to his knees. It's what he always said whenever Peter was sick or hurt, no matter how badly, because he simply couldn't fathom the idea that he wouldn't be. "Pete, you're all right."</p><p>"Daddy, I don't—I don't know what's happening," he said as his fingers scrabbled at Tony's armour. Tony had assumed that both he and Peter would be safe when they didn't disappear like the others. But now, as Peter clung to him for dear life, whimpering in pain as bits of ash floated away from his skinny body, Tony realised what was happening.</p><p>It was his healing factor, working overtime to try and keep him whole, and just now losing the battle.</p><p>"It's okay, buddy," Tony choked out. "You're—you're okay, just—"</p><p>He broke off as Peter pulled hard on his shoulders, forcing them both to the barren, dust-covered ground. Tony's heart froze when he saw that Peter's legs were already gone, so consumed with terror that the entire universe shrank down to just his son's frightened face, and the hand he reached up towards Tony.</p><p>"No!" he said, the word tearing through his throat like the jagged edge of a saw. He covered Peter's hand with his own, gasping when his fingers went right through. "No, Pete, you can't—you just gotta hold on, buddy, okay? You just gotta stay with me! Just stay with me!"</p><p>
  <em>Don't leave me, buddy! Papa will be here soon!</em>
</p><p>But Peter only shook his head, attempting a smile. "Daddy, I'm—I'm sorry."</p><p>And how just like Peter was it, that his very last action would be to try and comfort his father?</p><p>Always thinking of others first, was Tony's beloved boy. Even in the last seconds of his life.</p><p>
  <em>No! Please, God, no!</em>
</p><p>"Pete!" he cried as Peter's head turned to the side, and he faded away. Tony pitched forward as he lost his hold on his son, his hands landing in the ashes that remained behind. Like grease, they stuck to his fingers and palm, but instead of rubbing them away, Tony curled into a ball on the ground and clutched his hand to his heart, hoping against hope that somehow Steve would suddenly appear over the top of one of the piles of ruins, just like he had in Afghanistan.</p><p>But he never came.</p><p><em>Why? </em>Tony thought, too horrified and broken to even cry. <em>Why him?</em></p><p>
  <em>He was the best of us.</em>
</p><p>But death doesn't discriminate between the sinners and the saints. It only takes, and takes, and takes…</p><p>And there, on that barren, desolate planet, it took everything.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I am sorry 😢 </p><p>The next chapter will post on Monday, December 21st.  I do apologise for the longer wait, especially after a chapter like this, but never fear.  I will be posting a fluffy baby/toddler/kid Peter one-shot set in this universe on Friday, December 11th that will hopefully help heal your hearts for the time being 💖</p><p>And as always, I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The air around him was thick with the scents of battle; blood, ozone, and that scorched-earth smell that Steve could never forget no matter how long it had been since the war. The noise, which had been nearly deafening only seconds before, had faded into an eerie silence, broken only by the occasional distant muffled sob or cry of anguish.</p><p>The very same anguish Steve was now experiencing, the weight of it so crushing he was surprised that he hadn't yet been pushed into the ground.</p><p>They had <em>lost.</em></p><p>The Avengers. Steve's team, no, his <em>family</em>, had lost.</p><p>Steve let out a sharp gasp, curling even further into himself. To him, the word 'lost' or 'lose' were like curses, words meant to be spat, not spoken.</p><p>Not something that he would ever experience. And especially not with his <em>team</em>, the team he had curated and trained with such care and precision that they could now read each other's minds, and discern the tone of each other's voices out there on the battlefield.</p><p>They were the Avengers. And the Avengers didn't… <em>lose.</em></p><p>Until now.</p><p>"Steve." Steve jumped as someone called out his name from somewhere, possibly from behind him, though he couldn't be sure. He couldn't be sure about anything anymore. Not after the stunning defeat they had just suffered.</p><p>"Steve," the voice said again, this time a bit louder and more insistent. Once again, Steve ignored it, remaining locked in place on the ash-covered ground, staring bleary-eyed at the remains of what used to be—</p><p><em>Bucky.</em> His teammate. The man Steve had known since he was four years old, through good and bad, the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, through peacetime and war. A man Steve had thought he had once loved, and who they rescued from the brink of his HYDRA-induced madness.</p><p>The man his son called 'uncle', was <em>gone.</em></p><p>Snapped right out of existence, right before his very eyes.</p><p><em>Oh, God,</em> Steve thought, the only words his mind seemed capable of forming. <em>Oh, God!</em></p><p>"Steve!" the voice insisted, this time accompanied by a firm hand on his shoulder. In his dulled-down state, it took a few heartbeats for Steve to realise that the hand was smooth, rigid, and heavy, and way, <em>way </em>too much like Tony's.</p><p>It was James, still in his War Machine armour.</p><p>"No," Steve said as he jerked away, so softly that he knew there was no chance that James would hear him. There was no way he could look up into the face of his husband's oldest friend, wearing armour that his husband had made for him, all while not knowing if—</p><p>If—</p><p>
  <em>Oh, God!</em>
</p><p>"Steve," James insisted as he crouched down in front of him, his battle-worn face etched in the same anguish that Steve was drowning in. "Look, I know… I <em>know… </em>but we've gotta—we should get going, away from here. It's not—this isn't the best place for us to be right now."</p><p><em>This isn't the best place for us to be right now. </em>Steve winced as James's words reverberated around in his head, like one of the silly bouncy balls Peter and Pietro liked to play with up at the Compound. Peter would bounce the ball as hard as he could against the wall of the training dome, counting the seconds until Pietro could catch it, the two of them laughing the entire time.</p><p>Steve loved watching those two boys play together, like the sort of cousins that they were. Besides being just a very sweet, kind, and gentle young man, Pietro had been key in helping to break Steve, Peter, and the rest of the team out of the invisible HYDRA facility down in Georgia.</p><p>But now—</p><p>Now—</p><p>
  <em>Oh, God!</em>
</p><p>"O-okay," Steve finally said, forcing the words past his dry, scratchy throat. He allowed James to hoist him to his feet, stumbling a bit on his wobbly legs as he attempted to look around, to take inventory of who was still there, and who they had—</p><p>Who they had—</p><p>
  <em>Oh, God!</em>
</p><p>"Steve," Natasha said as she rushed forward from a nearby clump of trees, grabbing the shield from Steve's left hand just as he pitched forward, nearly slipping from James's grip. Steve grunted as he struggled to regain his balance, lifting his head slightly to meet her eyes, which were just as shocked and sorrow-filled as he felt.</p><p>Natasha and James. Two of his teammates that were still alive, even if 'alive' no longer quite meant what it used to.</p><p>"Steve, Clint's getting the jet ready," she said, her usual slightly raspy voice even lower and raspier than usual.</p><p>"C-copy that," Steve managed. Clint was still alive.</p><p>That made three.</p><p>As Steve's legs finally decided to stabilise underneath him, he gave the immediate area a quick once-over. Thor was also there, completely shell-shocked as he stared at the spot where Thanos had disappeared. <em>Four.</em> And Bruce, clomping his way over to them in the badly-damaged Veronica armour. <em>Five.</em></p><p>And himself, of course, even if he wouldn't currently call the horror-induced haze he was in 'living'.</p><p>
  <em>Six.</em>
</p><p>"Is—is this—are there—" he stammered, dragging his gaze back to Natasha when he just couldn't get the words to come out.</p><p>"Pietro's with Clint on the jet, Steve," she whispered as her eyes filled with tears. "But Wanda, she's—she's—"</p><p>She broke off, but Steve understood her anyway. Pietro had made it. But Wanda, his twin, had not.</p><p>
  <em>Seven.</em>
</p><p>"Sam?" he asked, choking off a sob when Natasha gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.</p><p>"Sam went right in front of me, Steve," James said softly. "I tried to reach him, but by the time… there was just nothing left but ash."</p><p>"Yeah," Steve whispered, no longer able to stop the tears snaking their way down his cheeks. At James's encouraging nudge, Steve swiped at his nose and looked down at his feet, willing them to take the steps necessary to get himself back onto the jet.</p><p>"The—the Wakandans," he said after he'd taken three tentative steps. The cries from the distant battlefield had all but ceased, but he still didn't feel comfortable just leaving without at least exchanging… What was the opposite of pleasantries? Insults? No, that was definitely not it. Remorse?</p><p>The five stages of grief?</p><p>"Steve, Bruce's already spoken with M'Baku," James said. "From what he said, the entire royal family was snapped, so he and General Okoye, well… they've got a lot of their own stuff to deal with at the moment. We can talk with them again later."</p><p><em>Later,</em> Steve thought as he gave a single nod. <em>After… </em></p><p>
  <em>After… what?</em>
</p><p>"All right," Steve whispered. "Th-thanks."</p><p>"M'Baku seems like a pretty stand-up guy," added James. "I'm sure he and the General will be able to get the country back into some semblance of order."</p><p>"Yes. All right," answered Steve. He'd only been introduced to the tall, broad warrior right before the battle began, but he supposed if King T'Challa had trusted him enough to have him close to his side on the front lines, then he must be okay.</p><p>Steve did wonder, though, if the same could be said for his own country's government. Was the President still alive? The Vice-President? Any members of the Cabinet, or Congress, or the Supreme Court? What about local police forces? Prison wardens?</p><p>Had the United States just been plunged into complete chaos, the likes of which not even HYDRA could have predicted?</p><p>He supposed he wouldn't have to wait too long for an answer.</p><p>Arriving back at the palace, around which stood several groups of women and children all chanting and sobbing, Steve stepped onto the parked Quinjet to find Clint sitting on one of the back bench seats, holding a crying Pietro in his arms. As soon as he noticed Steve, Clint tapped Pietro's shoulder and straightened his back, likely intending to prep the jet for takeoff, when Steve stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>"It's all right, Clint," Steve said softly as Bruce guided Thor onto the jet, sitting him down on the opposite bench. Steve's eyes flicked between Clint and his distraught son as Natasha took her place on Pietro's opposite side. "You… just stay with your family. James and I can fly the jet."</p><p>Clint pursed his lips, his eyes shiny. "Thank you, Cap," he whispered. "Thank you."</p><p>With a single nod, Steve tucked his shield into its corner and settled into the pilot's chair, flipping the various switches as James sat down next to him.</p><p>"I'll tune us in to the government's emergency channel," he said as Steve fired up the engines. "Hopefully they'll know something that's helpful."</p><p>"Copy that," said Steve as they lifted off. As soon as they were through the Wakandan force shield and on their way, Steve switched on the autopilot and tipped his head back, running a shaky hand through his hair as James located the emergency radio broadcast.</p><p>"<em>The full extent of the damage is as of yet unclear, as reports are still coming in almost by the second," </em>the announcer said. "<em>Stories of planes crashing into water and onto land, supply trucks crossing medians or driving off of bridges, derailed trains and multi-car crashes. I would have to say that this is the most catastrophic event in our country's history, and it is likely to only get worse. So far, I am told that while the President did indeed survive, both the First Lady and Vice-President are now missing, as are three out of the five Joint Chiefs and four out of the nine Supreme Court Justices. The Secretary of Defence and Secretary of State are also both missing."</em></p><p>"Seems like about half," James said, tossing Steve a grim look. "Is that what that lunatic said he was gonna do with the stones? Wipe out half of humanity?"</p><p>"Yes," Steve whispered, cringing as a sharp stab of pain lanced him right in the gut. It felt so wrong of him to wish that somehow Tony and Peter would both be spared from Thanos' devastating snap, but he still wished it anyway.</p><p>Harder than anything he had ever wished in his life.</p><p><em>Please, </em>he pleaded as the jet settled into his flight path above the clouds. <em>Please, let them be okay!</em></p><hr/><p>Tony wasn't aware of how much time had passed. It could've been seconds, minutes, hours, or even centuries for all he knew as he sat there, his eyes never once straying from the ashes that coated his hands. Clung to them like the stubborn moss that used to try and climb the walls of the Malibu house.</p><p>He had always hated that disgusting moss shit, the green stuff that suffocated trees and gleefully ate its way through plaster and wood. Being the billionaire that he was, Tony had proudly employed a team of groundskeepers to care for the Malibu house, many of whom he had known for most of his life. They, like most of his employees, were wonderful people, devoted to their work and highly motivated by Tony's generous pay and benefits.</p><p>They had always been proud to keep the Malibu house free of that disgusting moss, right up until the very moment it was destroyed.</p><p>But now…</p><p>
  <em>Now… </em>
</p><p>Now, there were no groundskeepers. No first-generation Italian men dressed in overalls and gardening gloves and whistling as they went about their work. By some miracle, none of them had been seriously injured when the Winter Soldier's bombs hit, and though Tony and Steve had eventually decided not to rebuild the home, they had made sure that all of the employees were well-compensated for their sudden loss of employment.</p><p>Tony was even certain that a couple of them had decided to return to Italy, to retire in the home of their ancestors.</p><p>But what he wouldn't give to have even one of them there now. Because surely the magic they could perform with his former home would somehow translate into bringing his son back to life.</p><p>Wouldn't it?</p><p>Wouldn't they be able to scrub the ashes clean from Tony's hands, and somehow knit them back together into his beloved boy?</p><p><em>It's just not fair, </em>Tony thought, grimacing at the severe roiling in his stomach. <em>He was the best of us.</em></p><p>
  <em>It should've been me instead.</em>
</p><p>A dry gust of wind suddenly blew across the desolate, dust-covered plain, sending a violent shiver down Tony's spine. Slightly lifting his head, he half-expected to next see a tumbleweed roll by, or whatever the hell happened to pass for a tumbleweed on that toxic wasteland where he now sat, home of the genocidal lunatic who had just stolen Tony's son right out of his arms.</p><p>"<em>Daddy, I don't—I don't know what's happening. I can't—I can't—!"</em></p><p>The last, desperate words of a frightened child begging for his father to help him, and all Tony could do was sit there and watch.</p><p>Some father he was.</p><p>Peter was brilliant. Smarter even than Tony, and so strong that he could stop a bus with his bare hands. But yet, at the end, after witnessing four other people fade into oblivion, he had been just as terrified to die as any other teenage boy.</p><p>And yet, even in his terror, even as he struggled against what had to be absolutely excruciating pain in his attempt to keep himself whole, his last words were meant for his daddy, to help comfort him.</p><p>Because that's the kind of person that Peter was. Always thinking of others first.</p><p>
  <em>I don't deserve him. I've never deserved him.</em>
</p><p>Around Tony, everything else was still and quiet, save for the occasional gust of breeze and the quiet sobs of the green chick—<em>Gamora</em>—as she sat next to a nearby pile of rubble, clutching handfuls of ashes to her chest.</p><p>It was as if the rest of the universe was as stunned as he was.</p><p>And why shouldn't it be, really?</p><p>They had <em>lost.</em></p><p>Lost because Tony couldn't bear to even think about attempting to face a world where his son was dead, and now—</p><p>Now—</p><p>
  <em>This is all my fault.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I should've done more.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Why didn't I do more?</em>
</p><p>"<em>Tony," </em>the wizard had said, right before he'd broken apart like a dead leaf. His eyes, which Tony hadn't much cared to notice at the time, had been filled with sorrow.</p><p>But not for himself. Now that Tony remembered, it hadn't been self-sorrow, even as Strange must've known what was going to happen to him.</p><p>It had been <em>sympathy.</em> Because Strange had been aware of what was about to happen to Peter. He had seen it, in his fourteen-however-million different outcomes that he had viewed during his Time Stone-induced, wanna-be LSD trip.</p><p>"<em>There was no other way."</em></p><p>No other way than to sacrifice Peter, and however-many other millions of people.</p><p>
  <em>Bullshit.</em>
</p><p>Somehow, it just didn't seem right. The math was all wrong, and Tony had always abhorred when the math was wrong.</p><p>
  <em>What was the point of saving him, only to let him die minutes later?</em>
</p><p>It just didn't make any sense.</p><p>A bolt of pain shot across Tony's fingers, and he flinched, slowly flexing open his clenched fist as his wedding ring caught a beam of the dim sunlight reflecting off of Titan's surface.</p><p>
  <em>Steve!</em>
</p><p>Fresh anguish welled up inside Tony as he imagined his poor husband stuck down on Earth, no doubt worried sick about him and Peter all while fighting against the Chitauri and whoever else Thanos had managed to coerce into following his mad ideals.</p><p>Was Steve even still alive, or had he been blown to dust too? What about Rhodey? Or Nat, or Bruce, or any of the others?</p><p>And if Steve was still alive, if he hadn't somehow drawn the short straw like Tony, then how in the hell was Tony ever going to face him again, knowing that he'd allowed Peter to die right in front of him?</p><p>Maybe it would be better if he were dead. If they were all dead. Then none of them would be left behind, forced to grieve.</p><p>"The boy," the blue chick—her name had escaped Tony's mind at the moment—suddenly said, causing Tony to jump. Her voice was raspy, a bit like Natasha's except a bit more… mechanical-sounding.</p><p>But not at all unkind.</p><p>"Was he your son?" she asked. "The boy?"</p><p>Slowly, Tony turned his head, gulping against the marble-sized knot in his throat as he studied the girl's androidish face. She wasn't crying—perhaps she was unable to cry—but her shoulders were sagged and her eyes half-lidded, like she was also grieving.</p><p>"Y-yes," he stammered, gasping as a fresh wave of pain hit him like a tsunami. "Yes, he—he—"</p><p>Is? Was? What even was the proper term?</p><p>Did a father stop being a father after the death of his child?</p><p>And why wasn't there a term for it? There was a term—widower or widow—for the loss of a spouse, so why not for the loss of a child?</p><p>Maybe because it was one of those things that was just too indescribable for words?</p><p>"I thought so," the girl continued. "He resembled you."</p><p>'Resembled.' Past tense.</p><p><em>No, </em>Tony thought bitterly. <em>I refuse.</em></p><p>"Nah," he said. "Pete's much better looking than me."</p><p>The girl—<em>Nebula</em>. That was her name—gave a nod. "He fought very bravely, like you. You should be proud."</p><p><em>I always am, </em>Tony thought automatically. <em>I didn't need him to fight off a mad, monstrous space demon obsessed with wiping out half the universe to be proud of him.</em></p><p>"I know," he said as he pressed his ashes-stained left hand to his chest, right over where Steve's dog tags hung under his shirt. "He always does, and I'm always proud of him."</p><p>Nebula gave another nod and stepped back, throwing a quick glance at her sister. "We should go," she said. "Take the ship and get off this planet. Back to your home."</p><p>"My home," Tony repeated. He drew in a shaky breath, squeezing his eyes closed. It would no longer be a home without Peter there, and even if they did end up making it back, what if Steve wasn't there? What if he was nothing more than a mess of ashes, scattered across the Wakandan plain?</p><p>The thought was enough to make Tony's heart slam so hard against his ribcage that he choked, nearly tipping over.</p><p>Would fate be so cruel as to take both Tony's son and his husband in one fell swoop, only to leave him behind? Was this the final act of its sick production designed to inflict as much torture on Tony as possible?</p><p>He supposed it didn't matter, because he deserved every single bit of it. Every single dram of misery and pain, because he hadn't done enough to stop it.</p><p>
  <em>I should've done more.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Why didn't I do more?</em>
</p><p>"Please," Nebula insisted. "The three of us need to fix the ship and get off of this rock. Quickly."</p><p>Tony shook his head, curling even further in on himself. Normally he would've jumped at the chance to tinker with another alien ship, especially after his experience with fixing Thor's.</p><p>But this was hardly any normal time.</p><p>"I don't—I don't—" he muttered, dragging his eyes over to where Quill's ship sat. It was listing badly to the left, and featured a still-smoking hole in what he suspected was one of the engines, which meant it had likely lost a good amount of its fuel. Nothing too surprising, really. After Thanos had pulled a goddamn <em>moon </em>down out of the sky during their battle, Tony wasn't shocked to see that the ship had been hit in the fallout.</p><p>He did have a feeling, though, that even aside from the lost fuel, the damage was probably far worse than what Nebula suspected. Which meant that the only way they'd be able to make it out of Titan's atmosphere was if their luck happened to change.</p><p>And even then, even if they did manage to get through the rather thin atmosphere, what next? The Q-ship Tony and Peter had arrived in was as state-of-the-art as Tony had ever imagined a spaceship could be, and even it had taken several hours to get to Titan from Earth. Which meant that unless Quill's ship had a warp drive, or whatever happened to pass for one where he came from, the journey could very well take weeks to complete.</p><p>Weeks without proper food, water, or clothing to protect against the freezing-cold vacuum of space.</p><p>Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all.</p><p>Still, Tony supposed that he had to try. Had to at least make the effort to try and return to his husband, like he had been so gung-ho about before everything went to shit.</p><p>Besides. Peter would want him to try. Always the optimist, was Tony's boy.</p><p>"All right," Tony said softly. "We can try."</p><p>"Good," Nebula said before stepping over to where her sister lay whimpering in the dust. Crouching down, she grabbed onto Gamora's shoulders, giving them a gentle shake</p><p>"Sister, we must try and fix the ship," Nebula said, gently but firmly. "We must leave this place."</p><p>Gamora shuddered, wiping a tear from her cheek as she shook her head. "Why?" she asked. "It's not like he's ever coming back here. He succeeded in his plan, the plan he spent years perfecting, and we both know where he's now gone."</p><p>"Yes, but right now that doesn't matter," said Nebula. "We must get the human back to his people. See how many of them are left."</p><p>Tony made a choked-off noise in the back of his throat at Nebula's last statement, pressing Steve's dog tags harder into his chest. If Steve was still alive, Tony had no doubt that he would already be helping to coordinate things, to be a voice of reason and calm through the erupting chaos.</p><p>He would push aside his own pain and grief and try and focus on others, just like he always did. Just like people would expect from Captain America.</p><p>He and Peter were so much alike that way.</p><p>Stepping back over to Tony, Nebula offered him her hand, pulling him up to his feet. Tony stumbled once he was upright, his legs not quite up to the task of supporting his weight. Or the guilt he was carrying across his shoulders like a pair of three-ton anvils.</p><p>Shuffling onto the ship, Tony immediately grimaced at the stale, musky smell, one that reminded him way too much of the Compound's gym after one of Clint and Bucky's sparring sessions. The smell was so overwhelming at first that Tony had to briefly stick his head back outside, swallowing down the rising bile in his throat.</p><p>"You need food," Nebula said as she stepped onto the ship, guiding Gamora by the hand.</p><p>"Uhh," Tony muttered. He was well-used to going hours—even days—without food, but he had to admit in his current state he would likely be able to think a bit better if he had something to nibble on.</p><p>"Yeah, that'd—that'd probably help me think," he added. "I'm—well… I'm kinda—"</p><p>"Thor took most of our food," Gamora said, rather bitterly. "When he and Rocket took the pod, he took most of our food with him."</p><p>Tony scowled. <em>How typical.</em> "Yeah, well, can't say I'm too shocked about that. Thor's appetite's probably big enough for three people. Or three super soldiers, as it were."</p><p>Complete silence met his words, with both women staring at him for several seconds until Nebula glanced at her sister.</p><p>"Typical," she said with a shrug. "Still, I will find you something."</p><p>Rummaging around in a cabinet, Nebula emerged with a foil packet, ripping it open to reveal a sort of trail-mix-like something-or-other that both looked and smelled like cat food, or what Tony would imagine cat food would look and smell like. He tried to hide his grimace as he took the packet, pouring a small amount into his palm.</p><p>"Thanks," he murmured before shoving the entire handful into his mouth, ignoring the far-too-sharp <em>crunch</em> as he chewed and trying to not let it touch his tongue too much.</p><p>"So, what kind of tools do you got around here?" he asked once he'd swallowed.</p><p>Seeing Tony ready and willing to help repair the ship seemed to breathe a bit of life back into Gamora. Straightening her shoulders, she gestured towards a utility shelf, on which sat several battered and worn tools, a few of which Tony could recognise from what he had used on Thor's ship.</p><p>"All right," Tony said, picking up what he hoped was a blowtorch. "So the first thing we should probably do is figure out how much fuel we've lost, and then figure out how to repair the damage to the engine. After that—"</p><p>"That sounds reasonable," Nebula cut in. "Then I will begin work on reestablishing life support."</p><p>"Yeah," Tony said slowly. "That's gonna be kinda important too."</p><p>Nebula frowned, tossing her sister a concerned glance. "I believe it to be very important."</p><p>Tony blinked, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. <em>Oh boy.</em> "Yep, that's what I meant," he said. "Sorry. I keep forgetting you guys don't understand my Earth sarcasm."</p><p>"There's not much about Earth that we do understand," said Gamora. "Only that Thanos was intent on defeating the Avengers."</p><p>"Really?" Tony said, pausing in his search for some protective goggles. "And why's that?"</p><p>Nebula shrugged. "Because following the Chitauri's failed invasion, Thanos saw the Avengers as a true threat to his plan."</p><p>Anger bubbled up from the pit of Tony's stomach, threatening to bring his cat food right back up again.</p><p>"If Thanos was so pissed off at the Avengers, then why the hell didn't he just attack us? Why attack all of Earth?"</p><p>"Because Thanos knew you would do whatever it took to protect your planet," said Gamora. "I believe you would call it, killing two winged creatures with one chunk of fossilised soil."</p><p>"Ahh, yeah," Tony said after a short pause. "Um… something like that." Finally locating the goggles he was looking for, he exited the ship and began surveying the damage to the engine.</p><p>"Oh, shit," he muttered as he noticed the shiny, oily puddle spreading across the redrock ground. The fuel was indeed leaking, just as he'd feared. Based on the size of the puddle, it at least appeared to be a slow leak rather than a fast one, which hopefully meant it would be easier to fix. But Tony also had a feeling that Quill was the type of guy to let the tank get down to near zero before refilling it—which, to be honest, so was Tony—and with no way to know just where the gauge was sitting before the ship got hit, well… it was definitely going to be a crap shoot.</p><p><em>Well, </em>Tony thought grimly. <em>I have always been pretty decent at craps, so… </em></p><p>Sucking in a deep breath, Tony adjusted his goggles and readied the blowtorch, muttering a, "Here goes nothing" before attempting to ignite it. To his surprise, it lit on the very first try.</p><p>"Well, well, well," he said as he got to work repairing the gaping hole in front of him, quickly becoming engrossed in the familiar—and soothing—hissing sound of the blowtorch. For as long as Tony could remember, he had always channeled his anger and grief into either alcohol, sex, or work. And since there was no alcohol on the ship—or at least none that he saw—and sex was obviously out of the question, then work would have to do.</p><p>Even if it couldn't even come close to repairing the gaping hole in his chest, where his heart had been carved out by a golden glove embossed with six colourful stones, and then smashed until it was nothing but ashes.</p><p>Just like his precious boy.</p><hr/><p>"I'll make sure you and your team receive a continuous feed on all incoming known casualties, Captain," the general said. General Arnold, one of few remaining top Pentagon officials, had been coordinating with the Avengers ever since their return to the Compound three days ago. "We sure do appreciate the help you've already given us."</p><p>"It's not a problem, General," Steve replied. "Please let us know if we can do anything else."</p><p>The general nodded, letting out a heavy sigh. "Just getting the Emergency Broadcast System back up and running has been huge, so please extend my deepest thanks to Dr Banner and Colonel Rhodes the next time you see them."</p><p>"I definitely will," said Steve. "Dr Banner plans to tackle the cellular towers once he and Colonel Rhodes are done with their work on the power grid."</p><p>"Yes, those will definitely be nice to have back as well," agreed General Arnold. "I guess the one upside to the Pentagon's ancient communications system is that we haven't had to rely on the cell towers, but—"</p><p>"A lot of civilians do," Steve cut in. "And in a time like this, being able to communicate with friends and family is very important to keeping the panic down to a dull roar."</p><p>General Arnold gave a grim nod. "Yes, Captain, that's very true. I guess you would understand that better than anyone."</p><p>"Well, I do have a bit of a unique perspective," Steve said with a slight smile. "We'll talk again soon, General. Take care."</p><p>"Very good, Captain. You do the same."</p><p>As soon as the screen went blank, Steve huffed out a sharp breath, dropping his chin to his chest. All unique perspectives aside, the disaster they were currently going through wasn't anything that Steve had even ever imagined, much less experienced. World War II had disrupted a good deal of the known civilised world back in the day, but this… this was something else.</p><p>A true global catastrophe. Plain and simple.</p><p>After a few fits and starts, Steve and the remaining members of the United States Military command had come to a sort of understanding. While the President was still alive, he had lost not only his wife of more than forty years and two of his three children, but also a good amount of his Cabinet and support staff, forcing him to try and piece back together a semi-stable working government all while dealing with a badly shocked and grieving people. So far, Steve had been quite impressed with the President's composure, a sentiment he had personally passed on following a speech earlier in the day.</p><p>A sentiment Steve could also sympathise with, given that he still had no idea if Tony and Peter had survived the snap, or even where they were.</p><p>He couldn't allow himself to wallow in his own uncertainty, though. Not when there was so much work to be done, and so many other grieving people to attend to.</p><p>Like the Stacys.</p><p>At Steve's invitation, George Stacy, Gwen, and his only surviving son, the youngest, had arrived to stay at the Compound two days before. Since their arrival, George Stacy had been working closely with Clint and Natasha in trying to catalogue the remaining local and federal law enforcement in the area, coordinating assignments and developing plans to keep homes and businesses from getting robbed or looted, as well as ensuring that the tons of dead cars, trucks, and other debris covering the streets and freeways was removed as quickly as possible so that supply runs could resume.</p><p>The work helped to keep his mind occupied, Stacy had told Steve yesterday, but Steve could tell that underneath his tough exterior, the man was barely holding on.</p><p>Just like him.</p><p>"Steve," Natasha said as she came into the room. Steve had been holed up almost exclusively in Tony's lab since they'd been back, thinking that if he was surrounded by his husband's beloved equipment and bots it would help him stay more optimistic about his and Peter's safe return. So far it hadn't exactly worked like he'd hoped, but it was at least better than trying to sleep in his and Tony's bed by himself.</p><p>As it was, Steve hadn't been able to sleep more than an hour or so at a time since the battle. What sleep he did manage to get was restless, like he was just waiting for something else horrible to happen.</p><p>The proverbial other shoe, so to speak.</p><p>"Hey, Nat," Steve replied just as the viewscreen suddenly lit up behind him, displaying a scrolling list of names of the known deceased. A huge knot rose in Steve's throat as the names kept coming, and coming, and coming, seemingly without end, fighting the strong urge to scream at the unfairness of it all.</p><p>"JARVIS?" he forced out.</p><p>"At your service, Captain," JARVIS replied softly. Even he seemed to be in mourning.</p><p>"Ah…" Steve stammered, gasping as he pressed his palm to his chest. He knew he needed to ask, but at the same time he really, <em>really </em>didn't want to.</p><p>"JARVIS, I need—I need you to keep track of this list of names, let me know if you come across anyone that we know." he finally said.</p><p>"Very good, Captain," said JARVIS. "Please be advised that these names are currently all manually reported, which means that—"</p><p>"Yes, I understand," Steve cut in. "Thank you."</p><p>"Of course, Captain."</p><p><em>Manually reported, </em>he thought, ignoring Natasha's pointed glance. <em>Meaning that they're not missing until I report them as missing.</em></p><p>"Steve," Natasha said again. "I'm sorry to have to interrupt you here, but—"</p><p>"You're not interrupting, Nat," Steve said attempting to force a smile, and failing miserably. "What's up?"</p><p>Natasha tilted her head, but thankfully chose not to call Steve out. "I just got a text from Bruce saying that one of his crew members in D.C. found something—some kind of souped-up, old-fashioned pager—down by the old SHIELD headquarters."</p><p>"By the Triskelion?" Steve asked in surprise. As far as he knew, the only people who ever ventured by that building were Nick Fury and Maria Hill, but no one had seen either of them in a few weeks. Well before Thanos' invasion.</p><p>"About a block away," answered Natasha. "Normally we wouldn't've thought anything of it, but when the guy showed it to Bruce, he just happened to recognise the symbol on it as one that he'd seen displayed in Nick's office."</p><p>Steve breathed in, his belly dropping a bit as Natasha showed him a photograph of the pager, on which appeared a symbol composed of two zig-zagged stripes of blue and red and a gold star in the centre.</p><p>"Where exactly was this found?" Steve asked.</p><p>"In the street about a block away from the Triskelion," said Natasha. "Bruce said when he ran the plates on the car it was found behind, it came back as being registered to Maria Hill."</p><p>"So it was probably Hill's personal car," Steve said. <em>Which means JARVIS can probably add another name to his list.</em></p><p>"Yes, but the pager's really too old for Hill to be carrying," Natasha said. She paused, looking intently at Steve. "Bruce and I both think it belonged to Fury."</p><p>"Okay," said Steve. "Which means he's probably gone too."</p><p>"Yes, but it also might mean he was trying to get in contact with someone before he faded away," Natasha insisted. "Which means we should look more into it."</p><p>Steve raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You think Bruce can figure out who Fury was trying to contact?"</p><p>"Steve, I don't know," Natasha said, rather impatiently. "But it's at least worth a shot, don't you think? If Fury was trying to contact someone he believed might be powerful enough to help us, then we definitely need to see it through."</p><p>"Okay, but help us do what, exactly?" Steve asked. "If Fury was trying to contact someone at the exact moment he was fading into ashes, then it's a bit late now, don't you think? I mean, how do we even know that whoever this is actually got the message?"</p><p>"We don't!" snapped Natasha, her harsh tone like a bayonet to Steve's heart. She huffed, shaking her head. "We don't Steve," she said, a bit quieter. "But don't you think it's at least worth a look? I mean, what if whoever this is can help us reverse this? Bring everybody—"</p><p>"Don't!" Steve yelped. He winced, holding up his hand in apology. "Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just—I'm just—"</p><p>
  <em>I'm just spinning my wheels in the dirt, not getting anywhere.</em>
</p><p>"Steve, I <em>know,"</em> Natasha said, low and tight. "I know, because we're all there. We're all feeling the exact same way. Stunned, horrified, shocked, whatever word you feel like using. But I just can't shake the feeling that this isn't it. That this isn't the whole story. And if whoever's on the other end of that pager can offer us some more information, then I think it's at least worth a try."</p><p>Crossing his arms into what Peter always called his Papa pose, Steve shifted on his feet, trying to force himself to think rationally, and then almost laughing at the absurdity of it. Rationality didn't really exist anymore. Not at the moment, at least. Half the world had just been snapped away by a giant purple being wearing a fancy bejewelled glove.</p><p>Not exactly what anyone would call rational.</p><p>"All right, Nat," he murmured. "Let's bring the pager here and see if Bruce can recreate the signal."</p><p>Natasha nodded, giving him such a hopeful smile that Steve's heart lurched. "Copy that. Bruce said he and Rhodey can have it up here in a few hours."</p><p>"Sounds good," Steve said. "Let me know when they get here."</p><p>"I will."</p><p>As soon as Natasha exited the lab, Steve turned back to the screen, still scrolling with name after name. He watched for a moment, then had to look away, too overwhelmed by the sheer number of missing.</p><p>It was like experiencing the bombing of London every ninety seconds. Too much for Steve to take in, especially in his constant state of uncertainty.</p><p><em>Please, </em>he thought as he turned instead to the task list he had made that morning, crossing off his meeting with General Arnold.</p><p>
  <em>Please, let them be okay!</em>
</p><hr/><p>Tony leaned back in his uncomfortable-as-hell seat, trying to find a position that didn't aggravate his already sore back and shoulders.</p><p>Not that it likely mattered much. By his calculations, the ship had only about twenty-four hours worth of life support left. He could maybe extend that a bit if he happened to hold his breath every now and then, but after that…</p><p>After that, it would all be over. He would simply go to sleep, and not wake up again.</p><p>He had tried. He really had. For his son's sake, Tony really had tried to get the ship into the best shape that he could. Had made a concerted effort to try and get home.</p><p>He just hadn't been good enough.</p><p>There seemed to be a lot of that going around lately.</p><p>Grumbling as he shifted in the chair yet again, Tony glanced down at his nanite case, contemplating whether to try and record a message for Steve. More than likely it would just end up being yet another exercise in futility, as the ship had been adrift for the last three days, and even with the distress signal broadcasting, they had seen no other sign of intelligent life anywhere.</p><p>If there were any other space-faring races out there, they apparently didn't live anywhere close.</p><p>Giving up on trying to get comfortable, Tony heaved himself up from the chair and plunked down onto the freezing cold floor instead, leaning back against the bulkhead. Then he tapped his nanite case, closing his eyes as the armour slowly formed across his body. The nanites, like him, were tired, so low on power that they probably only had one or two suit-ups left in them before they would be completely dead.</p><p>Which meant that Tony had better make it a message worth listening to, if by some miracle Steve ever found it.</p><p>Drawing in a deep breath, Tony activated the 'Record' function in his HUD.</p><p>"Hey, hon," he began, quickly clearing his throat when his voice caught. "You know, normally in times like this I tend to put my foot in my mouth and say something totally inappropriate, but I'm afraid this time I'm gonna have to disappoint you and just tell you how I'm feeling. So… here goes." He paused, tapping his armoured fingers against his thigh. "The truth of the matter is, I failed. I missed signs, didn't read the room correctly, whatever you wanna call it. I just failed. And because of that, our son, our sweet, precious boy, the boy you brought back to life lying there in the desert sand, is—is gone. And soon enough, I imagine that I'll be gone too, 'cause this ship's pretty much dead in the water up here, so… The blue and green madams and I tried to fix it, but… it was just too beat up. I'm guessing we have less than a day's worth of air left before—well… I know I don't have to tell you what I mean."</p><p>He sniffed, trying to ignore the tear zig-zagging down his cheek. "But anyway, before I go I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry, Steve. I'm so sorry that I wasn't good enough to keep all of this from happening. I'm so sorry that I wasn't as good to you as you were to me, and to Pete. He loved you so much, honey. You were a hero to him even before he knew you, and for that, I'll always be grateful. You brought out the best in both of us, and I love you for it. Well, I love you for a lot of other things too, but that's a pretty big one." He paused again, choking back more tears. "Please, don't feel guilty about this. You have no reason to feel guilty for anything. All you need to do is remember that I love you, Steve. And I know you will, 'cause you never forget anything." He broke off again, his throat so tight he could barely swallow. "I'm pretty tired, and the air's getting pretty thin, so I'm probably gonna be going to sleep soon. And when I do, I'm gonna pretend that you're holding me up against your chest, with your arm over my waist, so I can stay warm for as long as I can."</p><p>Three more tears tracked down Tony's cheeks, so salty and hot that they stung his skin.</p><p>"Goodbye, Steve," he concluded. "I love you."</p><p>Hitting the 'Stop' button, Tony slumped back against the bulkhead, squeezing his eyes closed as the armour flowed back into its case. Then he crossed his arms, wrapping Quill's massive shirt as tightly around him as he could, wishing with all of his might that it was Steve's instead.</p><p><em>I should've done more, </em>he thought as he drifted off, not knowing if he would wake up again.</p><p>
  <em>Why didn't I do more?</em>
</p><hr/><p>Steve let out a sigh, rubbing at the back of his neck as the names just kept on coming, scrolling across the screen with inputiny. So far JARVIS had identified over three hundred Stark Industries and SHIELD employees that had been snapped, and while Steve had so far managed to keep up with sending condolence letters to their surviving family members, he could no longer deny that the strain was starting to wear on him. He had practically no appetite, only eating when he felt too weak to continue working, and had been keeping himself awake with way, <em>way </em>too much coffee, a beverage he had never really enjoyed.</p><p>Now though, Steve almost welcomed the strong, bitter taste. It was a good match for his mood.</p><p>He also hadn't shaved in days, the itch in his cheeks and chin only adding to his overall grumpiness. It had gotten to the point the day before where Natasha had threatened to shave him herself if he didn't at least attempt to snap out of it, and probably would have actually followed through if Bruce and James hadn't had a breakthrough of sorts with Fury's suspected pager.</p><p>By the time the two engineers had returned to the Compound, the pager's battery was dead, leaving no easy way to trace the signal it had been transmitting. After several hours of tinkering, Bruce and James were able to identify the frequency of the transmission but not the strength, which meant that if Fury had originally meant it to transmit out into space, they had no way of knowing how far or in which direction.</p><p>If direction even mattered out there in space, which Steve honestly didn't know and didn't really care to figure out. He figured poor Tony—and now Peter—knew enough about space for the three of them.</p><p><em>They're okay,</em> he thought, gripping the counter with both hands. <em>They have to be okay.</em></p><p>'<em>Cause I don't know what I'm gonna do if they're not.</em></p><p>"Hey, Steve," Natasha said as she came into the lab, her eyes flicking briefly to his unkempt whiskers.</p><p>"Hey, Nat," answered Steve. He wasn't really in the mood for company, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "What's up?"</p><p>Natasha let out a kind of morbid chuckle, shrugging. "Oh, you know," she said as she glanced at the screen, still scrolling with names. "You know, I'm pretty sure you don't have to constantly stand here and watch these."</p><p>"Yeah, I know," Steve said quickly. "I'm just…" He trailed off, not quite sure how to finish his sentence. <em>I'm just trying to feel useful?</em></p><p>
  <em>In control?</em>
</p><p>Was it even possible to retain any semblance of control in the midst of that much chaos?</p><p>Steve was rapidly starting to believe that it wasn't.</p><p>"This is just a nightmare," he whispered. "Only it's even worse, 'cause I can't seem to wake up from it, and—"</p><p>"Steve, I've had better nightmares," Natasha said softly. "But we can't give up now. I really think that—"</p><p>"Hey," James suddenly cut in from the doorway. He jerked his head, indicating for them to follow him.</p><p>"You guys got something?" Natasha asked.</p><p>"Well, I can't say that it's good," James said as they entered Bruce's lab, where the pager sat connected to one of his external power sources. "It just kinda stopped whatever the hell it was doing."</p><p>"Whatever signal it was sending finally crapped out," added Bruce.</p><p>Steve huffed. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with this at the moment. "I thought you guys were able to bypass the battery?"</p><p>"We did, Steve," said James. "It's still plugged in, it just… stopped."</p><p>"Okay, so, reboot it," said Steve. "Send the signal again."</p><p>Bruce dropped his shoulders, removing his glasses. "Steve, we don't even know what this is, and—"</p><p>"Fury did," Natasha cut in. "Bruce, just do it please."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, okay," muttered Bruce.</p><p>"And tell us the second you get a signal," added Natasha. "I wanna know who's on the other end of that thing."</p><p>Bruce glanced at Steve, who gave him a short nod. "It's at least worth a try."</p><p>"Yeah, copy that. We'll let you know what we find," said Bruce. Replacing his glasses, he turned back to the pager, tapping commands into his keyboard.</p><p>"Thank you," Steve said softly. With a final look at the pager, Steve turned to leave, nearly slamming into a blonde-haired woman who was standing about three metres behind him.</p><p>"What the—?" he stammered as his belly gave a violent swoop. Across the front of the woman's uniform was the very same symbol displayed on the pager. "Who are—who are—?"</p><p>The woman cut him off with a sharp glare, taking a single step forward.</p><p>"Where's Fury?" she asked in a low voice.</p><p>"Uhh… what just happened?" Bruce exclaimed. "How did you—?"</p><p>"How in the hell did you get in here?" James cut in. "This place is secured!"</p><p>The woman's glare intensified, her fists clenched at her sides. "I've been in places a lot more secure than this one," she said, jerking her head towards the pager. "Why do you have that? Where's Fury?"</p><p>"Okay, let's just all try and calm down a bit here," Steve said, holding up his hands. "We don't know where Fury is. This device was found in the street a few days ago, bearing this symbol."</p><p>"Were you the person he was trying to contact?" Natasha asked.</p><p>"Maybe," answered the woman. "But first I want to know how you people came to have it."</p><p>"Like Steve said, we found it in the street a few days ago," said James. "But you still haven't answered how you managed to get in here—"</p><p>"So Fury's gone, then?" the woman interrupted, and Steve could've sworn that she looked almost sad.</p><p>"Yes, we think so," Natasha said gently. "Did you know him?"</p><p>The woman nodded. "It was a long time ago, back in what you would call the year 1995. He… helped me figure out a few things."</p><p>"Well, Fury's pretty good at stuff like that, 'cause he helped me with the exact same thing," said Natasha. She stepped forward, holding out her hand towards the woman. "I'm Natasha."</p><p>The woman's eyes widened, staring down at Natasha's hand as if she was afraid it was going to catch fire or something. "Carol," she finally said as she tentatively grasped Natasha's hand. "Carol Danvers, formerly of Kree Starforce."</p><p>"Steve Rogers," Steve said with a nod, gesturing towards Bruce and James. "And this is Dr Bruce Banner and Colonel James Rhodes. They're the ones who found the pager in D.C."</p><p>"Ah huh. And you people worked for Fury?" Carol asked.</p><p>"Ahh, sort of," answered Steve. "He was more like our civilian colleague. I lead a team called the Avengers, and Fury works with us."</p><p>Carol's eyebrows shot up. "The Avengers? You people call yourselves the Avengers?"</p><p>"Yeah?" said James, crossing his arms. "What of it?"</p><p>A slight smile stretched across Carol's lips. "Well, 'cause that's me. I was Avenger."</p><p>"You were?" asked James, obviously taken aback. "When?"</p><p>"I was a pilot, and that was my callsign." Carol explained. "Carol 'Avenger' Danvers."</p><p>"Really?" James said, obviously impressed. "Which branch? I'm Air Force."</p><p>Carol's smile deepened. "Air Force. My friend Maria and I were two of the first women to fly test aircraft."</p><p>"Danvers!" James exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "I knew there was a reason why your name sounded so familiar." He turned to Steve. "She was reported missing in the late eighties, some kind of crash that was classified way above my pay grade at the time. Real hush-hush stuff."</p><p>"Which is what Fury helped me figure out," added Carol. "I was… out of commission for a bit after the crash."</p><p>"How out of commission?" Steve asked. He curled his hands into fists, trying to stop them from shaking. Despite James's apparent prior knowledge of Carol, having some unknown woman/being gain entrance into their secured home was not something he was prepared to let go of so easily.</p><p>"I was living on the Kree homeworld with no memory of who I was or what had happened to me," answered Carol, rather sharply. "Is that out of commission enough for you?"</p><p>"All right, all right, there's no need for us to keep snarking at each other," said Bruce. He turned to Steve, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You did ask me to find out who was on the other end of the pager, so… there ya go. Looks like we got a response."</p><p>"Yes, we did," Natasha said before Steve could answer. She gave Carol a friendly smile that was only slightly forced. "So, we were kinda hoping you might be able to help us figure out what happened here—"</p><p>"Thanos happened," Carol cut in.</p><p>"Uhh, you know about Thanos?" asked Bruce.</p><p>Carol gave a nod. "Yes. One of our former Kree operatives was working with him a few years ago, trying to obtain one of the Infinity Stones. Thanos didn't exactly take it well when he tried to deceive him."</p><p>"No, I don't imagine he did," said James. "Dude definitely seems to hold a grudge."</p><p>"I also know that when Thanos snapped his fingers, the effects rippled across the entire universe," added Carol.</p><p>It took Steve a moment for her words to sink in. "Wait. So you're saying that what's happening here—"</p><p>"Is happening on all the planets in the universe," finished Carol.</p><p>"Whoa," Bruce said under his breath. "That's—that's—"</p><p>"It's catastrophic," Steve said quietly. "On a level we probably can't even quantify."</p><p>
  <em>Just like Thor warned us.</em>
</p><p>"Okay, but that doesn't really matter now since Fury obviously believed that you might be able to help us," said Natasha. "So… it's really good to have you here."</p><p>"Yeah, but how did you get here, exactly?" asked Bruce. "I mean, JARVIS would've warned us if a ship was trying to land, so—"</p><p>"I didn't come in a ship," Carol said, shrugging. "I just flew."</p><p>"You… flew?" James asked, his eyes as wide as dessert plates. "Like… through space?"</p><p>Carol nodded, like it was completely normal for a human—or humanoid, Steve supposed—to be able to fly through actual space without a ship. "Yep. I was about two galaxies away when I got Fury's signal."</p><p>
  <em>Two galaxies away. Two galaxies away—</em>
</p><p>"Did you see any ships?" Steve suddenly asked, his heart starting to thud. "When you were flying here, did you happen to see any ships out there?"</p><p>"Ah, no," Carol said. "But since I have a tendency to fly through ships, I usually try to avoid them."</p><p>"Hang on, you tend to fly… <em>through</em> them?" James asked. "How in the hell—?"</p><p>"But do you think you could find a ship?" Steve asked, almost frantic now. "My—my husband, and my son, they were taken aboard one of Thanos' ships at the very start of the battle, and we haven't seen them since."</p><p>"Sure, I can take a look," said Carol, almost like Steve had asked her to take out the trash or something. "I'll leave now."</p><p>"Oh, <em>God,</em>" Steve nearly sobbed. "If you—if you don't mind, I'd—I'd—I mean, we still don't know if they—if they made it, but—"</p><p>"They were captured along with the guy who had the Time Stone," said Bruce. "I don't know if that helps you or not, but—"</p><p>"Eh, not really," said Carol. "But no big deal. I'll start my search in your solar system and go from there."</p><p>"Oh, thank you!" Steve rasped, grabbing onto the counter as his knees threatened to give way. He had been trying so hard not to give up on the possibility that Tony and Peter might come home to him, but now there was actually a real chance, he found he could barely keep himself upright.</p><p>
  <em>Oh God. Please, let her find them!</em>
</p><p>"Steve, Rhodey and I are gonna show Carol around a bit first, maybe get her something to eat," Natasha murmured as James led her out of the room and Bruce rushed off to yet another overdue conference call. "It shouldn't take too long."</p><p>"No, no, that's fine," Steve answered. He sank down onto a chair, wincing as a sharp pang of guilt pierced his heart. Here was Natasha, who after watching her surrogate daughter fade into ashes was still working her ass off trying to keep everyone else's spirits up, while Steve might be reunited with his missing family in only a few short hours and was still so anxious that he could barely stand.</p><p>It wasn't fair. But at the moment, he didn't really care. If his guilt meant getting his husband and son back, then it would be more than worth it.</p><p>"Nat, do you really think she'll be able to help us somehow… reverse this?" he asked after a short pause. Steve honestly couldn't see how the snap could ever be reversed, but then again, he'd never expected to meet a woman who could literally fly through space on her own either.</p><p>
  <em>That pretty much ranks up there with the walking and talking tree.</em>
</p><p>Natasha gave a stuttered nod, her lips tightly pursed. "Steve, I have to believe it, for Clint and Pietro's sake. Otherwise… what're we even doing here?"</p><p>Steve let out a heavy sigh, scrubbing his palm down his prickly face. He'd have to shave before Tony came home, or he would never hear the end of it.</p><p>Natasha was right, though. If they, the Avengers, couldn't hold on to hope, how could they expect anyone else to keep holding on?</p><p>"Yeah, you're absolutely right," he whispered. "Thanks."</p><p>"You're welcome," she said, with the slightest of smiles. "Now, I think you should go make yourself presentable for your boys, okay? Otherwise they might not recognise you when they get back."</p><p>Steve's throat tightened so quickly that he almost choked.</p><p>
  <em>When they get back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Not if. When.</em>
</p><p>"Yeah," he whispered as he pushed himself up to his feet. "Okay."</p><hr/><p>
  <em>Tony's heart was thudding so hard he was surprised his ribs were still intact as he stumbled across the battle-scarred terrain. He had last seen Steve trying to fend off at least a dozen of the Chitauri warriors, and had been on his way to him when Steve was suddenly blown backwards, out of sight behind one of the many mountains of rock and debris.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The blow had also somehow caused his armour to disappear, but Tony had neither the time nor the brainpower to try and figure that one out at the moment. He absolutely had to get to Steve first.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Steve!" he called, his voice nothing more than a loud whisper in the thin, stale air, searing dust deep into his lungs. "Honey, where are you?"</em></p><p>
  <em>A soft groan coming from a nearby pile of twisted metal caught Tony's ear, and he lurched forward, nearly falling onto his face in his hurry to get to his husband.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Oh, no," he whispered as he caught sight of Steve's ubiquitous shield, lying in two jagged pieces next to a pair of long, powerful legs. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no!"</em></p><p>
  <em>Please! Don't take them both from me!</em>
</p><p>"<em>Steve!" Tony shrieked as he dropped to his knees, wincing as something sharp poked him in the shin. He reached a trembling hand to cup Steve's cheek, horrified at how cold his skin already was. "Honey, please! Don't do this!"</em></p><p>
  <em>Don't leave me! Not now!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Not when I need you the most.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sliding his fingers down to Steve's neck, Tony placed them against his pulse point, his heart in his throat as he waited to feel the slow and steady beat of Steve's.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A beat that never came.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Anguish swept across Tony, so strongly that he tipped forward, falling over Steve's broken, lifeless body. A choked groan ripped from his throat as his heart cracked right down the middle, just like the vibranium shield lying next to them in the dirt.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His son, and now his husband. Both gone.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He truly was the Merchant of Death.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I'm so sorry, honey, he thought, his hands fisting into Steve's uniform. I'm so sorry I wasn't good enough to save you.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I should've done more.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Why didn't I do more?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Shifting, Tony laid his head down onto Steve's lifeless chest, his arms curling around Steve's neck as tears dripped down from his eyes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>They had lost. And now all Tony could do was hope that fate had finally deemed him worthy enough to allow him to die, so he could join his beloved boys.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Time passed. Minutes, hours, days, Tony couldn't be sure, until suddenly a light appeared in the distance. One that grew brighter with each passing second until it was so bright that Tony was forced to shield his eyes, peering cautiously through his fingers.</em>
</p><p>It was an angel. A literal angel, glowing like a human-shaped sun as she hovered in space.</p><p>"Don't be afraid," she said, smiling. "I'm here to help you."</p><p>"<em>What?"</em> Tony whispered, his mouth so dry and cracked that the very act of breathing was painful. Somehow, he wasn't dead. Instead, he was back on the ship, sitting in the pilot's seat and staring dumbfounded at the angel hovering out in space, right in front of the ship's nose.</p><p>"Are you Tony Stark?" she asked.</p><p>Unable to speak, Tony could only nod.</p><p>"Then hold on," she said. "I'm taking you home."</p><p><em>Home?</em> Tony thought. <em>But—but—?</em></p><p>He was cut off as he felt the ship suddenly move, hurtling through the vastness of space at a velocity that it really had no business moving at, angel propulsion or not. Tony thought he heard a noise of surprise from somewhere in the back, but couldn't be sure as the ship passed what appeared to be rings of Saturn, then the red seas of Jupiter before Earth suddenly appeared in the window, just hanging there in space, right where he'd left it.</p><p><em>Holy shit,</em> Tony thought, his heart lurching painfully as they entered the atmosphere, emerging a few seconds later over an Earth that was both the same, and yet very, very different.</p><p>The entire planet was cold, and grey. Like it was in mourning.</p><p>As the ship touched down not too far from the Compound's training dome, Nebula appeared behind Tony's chair, reaching for him before he could utter a word of protest. He wanted to ask if Gamora had made it, but then decided against it. He could vaguely remember Nebula mentioning something about Gamora being enhanced, as an explanation as to why she didn't require as much food as Tony. Thanos had enhanced her, just like he had pulled Nebula apart and then put her back together, piece by piece.</p><p>But not Peter. Peter he had just pulled apart, leaving him to die out there on that barren rock. And now—</p><p>Now—</p><p>"Tony? Peter? Are you in there?" he heard a voice say as the ship's hatch began to lower, one so frantic and yet hopeful at the same time that Tony couldn't help but cry out.</p><p>It was Steve.</p><p>Steve was <em>alive.</em></p><p>"Steve," he tried to say, his mouth and tongue flatly refusing to cooperate as the hatch finished lowering, and Steve came into view.</p><p>"Oh!" Tony said on a gasp as his eyes swept across his husband, as tall and strong and beautiful as ever. A second later his legs gave way underneath him and Steve rushed forward, lifting Tony into his arms.</p><p>"It's okay, sweetheart. I've got you," Steve murmured as he drew Tony gently against his warm, <em>whole </em>body, pressing kisses to his forehead and cheeks. "You're gonna be okay now."</p><p>"No," Tony blurted out, just now realising how wrong it all was. He shouldn't be here. Not without Peter.</p><p>It should've been <em>him </em>that Thanos snapped away. Not their precious son.</p><p>"Tony?" Steve said as he looked behind him into the ship, obviously searching for Peter. Tony could tell the precise second when it dawned on him, when his eyes changed from pure elation to fear, and tentativeness.</p><p>When Steve realised that while Tony had made it home, Peter had not.</p><p>"Tony?" Steve said again, the wobble in his voice like a jagged dagger twisting in Tony's heart as he met Tony's eyes. "Sweetheart, where's—?" He broke off, swallowing hard. "Is—is he—? Oh, God, is he—?"</p><p>"He's gone!" Tony cried, the anguish he had been carrying ever since Peter had faded to dust finally bubbling over. All of his blood turned to ice, the world spinning all around him as he felt Steve shudder, his arms gripping him like a vice.</p><p>"I lost him," he choked out. "Honey, I lost our kid!"</p><p>And then he slumped in Steve's arms, welcoming the darkness as it finally, <em>finally </em>came to claim him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sigh... 😞</p><p>It will get better, I promise.</p><p>The next chapter will post on Wednesday, December 30th.  Happy Holidays to you all!  💗 💗 </p><p>Kudos and comments give me life!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment! 😊</p><p>Emoji Key for those who don't know what to say in the comments!<br/>❤ = you wish you could kudos again<br/>😭 = I got you right in the feels<br/>🔥 = this was so hot/ sweet!<br/>🐰 = it’s so fluffy!<br/>😣 = the angst is killing me!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I was able to finish this chapter earlier than I thought, so you guys get it a day early! 😊.  Please be aware that this chapter gets pretty dark.  Our boys are hurting, and not handling it well at all 😢.  It does get more optimistic towards the end though. </p><p>Thank you so much to my awesome betas allthesinnersandthesaints and jehbeeeh! 💖</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Steve grunted as his head began to slip forward again, managing to catch himself just before it dropped. He was so tired that he could barely keep his eyelids open, and had already managed to wrench his neck three separate times trying to stay awake.</p><p>But he didn't dare allow himself to sleep just yet.</p><p>Not until he was absolutely positive that Tony was going to be okay.</p><p>It had taken all of Steve's inner strength—and more that he didn't know he had—not to lose it completely when Tony went unconscious in his arms, the elation he'd felt at his husband's safe return quickly tempered by Tony's weakened, unstable condition, and his own unbearable grief that Peter wasn't with him.</p><p>Grief that Steve was still attempting to push aside, choosing to focus only on Tony at the moment. They could mourn Peter together once he was back on his feet.</p><p>But first he had to ensure that Tony did get better, which, despite the forward progress he had made in the last twenty-four hours or so, he still had quite a ways to go. While he at least wasn't as sick as he had been following the battle in the Miami bunker, having to see his husband lying motionless in a hospital bed and hooked up to an innumerable amount of tubes, wires, and monitors was bringing way too many of Steve's repressed memories of that horrible time back up to the surface.</p><p>Memories that were now attempting to eat right through him.</p><p><em>But I can't think like that, </em>Steve thought, giving his head a hard shake. <em>I just can't.</em></p><p>Steve had already lost Peter. There's no way he would survive if he lost Tony as well.</p><p>So far, Bruce was optimistic that Tony would make a full recovery, and Steve was clinging to that optimism with everything in him. Bruce had explained to Steve that the damage to Tony's kidneys, liver, and heart was temporary, and that once they had taken care of his severe dehydration and muscle wasting due to hunger and low oxygen, his cardiac enzymes and serum electrolyte levels would slowly return to normal.</p><p>
  <em>Slowly.</em>
</p><p>Which meant that once again, Steve was left with nothing to do but wait.</p><p>Wait, and try to <em>not</em> think about what might have happened if Carol hadn't suddenly appeared when she did. Bruce had also told Steve that Tony had been breathing air that was way too thin for at least twenty-four hours before Carol managed to locate the ship, and so was shocked that Tony was still somewhat conscious when they landed.</p><p>He had almost been out of time, something that Steve had repeated to himself about a million times in the last few hours.</p><p>Shifting in his chair, Steve brought Tony's hand to his lips, kissing it over his wedding ring. He had lost so much weight on his journey back to Earth, over seven kilograms, that even his fingers, normally slender and long—<em>just like Peter's</em>—seemed more bony, causing his ring to wobble a bit as Steve carefully pressed it to his cheek before lowering their joined hands back to the bed.</p><p>"I'm not gonna let you slip away from me," he murmured as he brushed a stray hair from Tony's forehead, his heart fluttering when Tony let out a soft moan. He had been so out of it when Bruce first started working on him that he became combative, insisting that he didn't deserve to live after losing Peter and that Steve and the rest of the team should just let him die. It eventually got to the point where Steve had to physically hold him down so Bruce could start an IV, nearly sending Steve into a full-blown hyperventilating attack once it was finally placed that James was just barely able to talk him through.</p><p>As it was, Steve could now hardly look at Tony's arms, which were covered in bruises and bandages from the failed IV placement attempts, without breaking into tears. He at least wasn't completely paralysed, like he had been down in Miami for all those weeks, so he could occasionally respond to Steve's voice and squeeze his hand. But that didn't make it much easier for Steve to have to see him like this.</p><p>"I'm not gonna lose you, sweetheart," he repeated, almost more for himself than for Tony.</p><p>
  <em>I wouldn't survive it.</em>
</p><p>Reaching for his cup of coffee on the bedside table, Steve caught a glimpse of himself in the small mirror, his brow furrowing with disgust at his unkempt appearance. His hair was the longest it had been in decades, since he was a boy, and the circles under his eyes were so dark that he looked like he'd been hit in the face multiple times by his own shield.</p><p>Hopefully he wouldn't scare Tony once he finally woke up.</p><p>Shuddering, Steve took a large gulp of the coffee, grimacing as the bitter, lukewarm liquid slid down his throat and into his empty stomach. Natasha had brought him some food a few hours ago and insisted that he eat it, even staying to watch him for a few minutes to ensure that he followed her orders. But while Steve had put everything else on pause since Tony got back, his metabolism hadn't yet seen fit to take a hiatus, and he knew he was going to have to get something else to eat soon or his chances of staying awake would soon drop to zero.</p><p>And he had to stay awake, for Tony's sake. He had to make sure that when Tony woke up, Steve was the first person he saw.</p><p>Fidgeting again in his chair, Steve tipped his head to the side, caressing the back of Tony's hand with his thumb. Tony's skin, which had been very dry and crepey when he first returned, was finally starting to regain its usual softer, supple feel, which hopefully meant that his severe dehydration was starting to correct.</p><p>Baby steps, but still steps.</p><p>He had just taken another sip of his coffee when he heard a soft knock on the door.</p><p>"Come in?" he said, expecting to see either Natasha, Bruce, or James, or even Nebula, the blue android-like girl who had accompanied Tony on the ship home. She and her sister were staying in one of the guest suites at the Compound and had mainly kept to themselves since their arrival, aside from Nebula's occasional check-in to see how Tony was doing.</p><p>And while it was still a bit unnerving to Steve to have two aliens—actually three, if he counted Thor's friend Rocket, the raccoon-like creature who for some reason insisted that he wasn't a raccoon—staying with them at the Compound, he was so grateful to them for convincing Tony to try and repair their ship that Steve gladly pushed all of his unease aside.</p><p>It wasn't Nebula who was at the door, though. Or any of the others.</p><p>Instead, it was Gwen Stacy.</p><p>"I'm—I'm really sorry to bother you, Captain," Gwen said softly as she stepped inside. She paused as she glanced down at Tony, her already pale, drawn face going even paler. "I just—I just—"</p><p>"You're not bothering me, Gwen," Steve said, attempting a smile. "What can I do for you?"</p><p>"Um… for me?" she asked, taken aback. She swiped at her eyes, red-rimmed and puffy. "Oh no, Captain, I'm not here to ask you for anything. I just—well… I just wanted to see how Mr Stark was doing."</p><p>"Oh, he's doing fine," Steve said, so automatically that he cringed. "Well, I should say that he's going to be fine. It might take a few more days, but… he's getting there."</p><p>Gwen gave a nod, crossing her arms in front of her. "That's—that's good," she said. "'Cause I know it would be even harder for you if he were—I mean, if you—if you—"</p><p>"Gwen," Steve gently cut in. "It's all right for you to be sad about—" He broke off, unable to say his son's name for fear of breaking down himself. "We're all going through it. All of us, and trying to suppress how we're feeling only makes things worse in the long run."</p><p>"Oh, I know that, Captain. I just…" Tears welled in Gwen's pretty eyes, spilling down her pale cheeks. "I just wish that… you know, Peter sensed that ship, when it came to New York. Before he saw it hovering there over the street, he somehow knew it was there, and… well… he had just taken a picture of the two of us, on his phone, and after he showed it to me, I asked him if he could take one with my phone too, but… that was right when he sensed the ship, and after that—well… he just knew that he needed to go and help. He said that you and Mr Stark would need his help 'cause it was gonna be even worse than you guys had thought it would be, and—and—"</p><p>"Shh, Gwen, it's okay," Steve whispered, handing the distraught girl a tissue. His own stomach was in knots having to listen to her describe Peter's thought process for leaving the bus, but he couldn't tell her to stop when she obviously needed to work through it. "None of this is your fault."</p><p>Gwen dabbed at her eyes, sniffing. "Oh, I know that. I still begged him not to go, even though deep down I knew that he would anyway." She let out a sort of morbid chuckle, shaking her head. "Peter loved being Spider-Man. He loved being a superhero and training with the Avengers, but he loved you and Mr Stark and the rest of his family more. And—and maybe even me, 'cause he said so right before he left, and—but anyway… That's the real reason why he left the bus. He wasn't trying to be a hero, Captain Rogers. He was just trying to keep the people he loved safe."</p><p>Steve was quiet for a moment, not quite sure how to respond. It didn't surprise Steve in the least that Peter had sensed the ship's presence before he saw it, as his Spider Sense had never let him down before. It didn't even surprise him that Gwen had begged Peter not to go. She loved Peter, of that Steve had no doubt, and would never want him to deliberately place himself in danger.</p><p>He only wished that his son's selfless act hadn't been rewarded by Steve's utter failure to win the most important battle of their lives.</p><p>"I'm not really expecting you to say anything, Captain," Gwen said, as if she had read Steve's mind. "I guess I just thought that you might like to know what happened."</p><p>"Y-yes," Steve stammered, clearing his throat. "Yes, thank you, Gwen, I appreciate you telling me this. And I'm very sorry for your own losses as well."</p><p>"Oh, yeah," Gwen whispered as fresh tears welled in her eyes. "We're… we're trying to hang in there. It's hard, but… being here, and trying to stay busy, it—it helps a lot. I think if we were at our own house, it'd—it'd be a lot worse."</p><p>"Yes, I can understand that," said Steve. "And I've already told your father that you're welcome to stay as long as you like. I know Agents Barton and Romanoff have been very grateful for his help."</p><p>"Yes, he told me, and that's really nice of you," Gwen said. "He enjoys the work he's doing, and it's good for him to stay busy. He's—he's always better when he can stay busy. It helps keep his mind off of things that he can't change."</p><p>
  <em>Well, that sounds familiar.</em>
</p><p>"I think there's a lot of us who can understand how he feels right now," Steve said softly. "I hope you'll let me know if you or your brother need anything, though."</p><p>Gwen sniffed again, nodding before she blew her nose. "Yes, I will. Thank you, Captain. And I hope—I hope Mr Stark will be okay soon."</p><p>"Oh, he will," Steve stated, his fingers tightening around Tony's hand. "It'll just take some time."</p><p>
  <em>Just like everything else.</em>
</p><p>As soon as Gwen exited the room, Steve let out a sigh and glanced down at Tony, nearly jumping out of his chair when saw that Tony was awake, his sleep-dulled brown eyes staring straight up at him.</p><p>"Tony! Oh my God, you're awake!" Steve exclaimed as he leaned closer, carefully cupping his husband's cheek. "How're you feeling? Are you in any pain? What can I do for you?"</p><p>Tony's lips twitched, his tongue poking out to wet them as he studied Steve's face, his expression slowly transforming into that self-loathing look that Steve had seen far too many times before.</p><p>He had always hated that look. Always hated how Tony felt like he had to carry the entire world on his shoulders, and how he always instantly blamed himself whenever anything went wrong.</p><p>"Sweetheart, please, don't—" Steve started.</p><p>"What're you doing here?" Tony asked, so devoid of emotion that it sent Steve's belly plummeting to his knees.</p><p>"What do you mean, what am I doing here?" Steve gently admonished. "Tony, I've been waiting for you to wake up. I haven't left your side since you came home!"</p><p>"Mmm," Tony grumbled, his eyebrows knitting together. He made an attempt to pull his hand away from Steve's grip, but Steve held firm, refusing to let go. "You shouldn't've bothered."</p><p>"No. This is no time to be talking like that," Steve said in his Captain's voice. "Now's not the time to give up, sweetheart. You and I… we're gonna need to heal if we're ever going to be able to move on."</p><p>Tony scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Move on," he said, practically spitting the words. "Funny of you to believe that there even exists such a thing. 'Cause there doesn't. Steve, I lost—I <em>lost</em> him. I lost our son, and—" He held up his right hand, examining it as if he somehow didn't recognise it. "Pete fell apart right in my arms 'cause I didn't do enough to stop it, and there is no such thing as healing from that."</p><p>Steve made a choked-off noise in the back of his throat, tight with the tears he was trying—and failing—to contain. "No, Tony, you know that's not true. <em>Please, </em>don't do this! This wasn't your fault, there's nothing that you could've done to stop it!"</p><p>"Yes, there was!" Tony snapped. He yanked his hand again, pulling it from Steve's grasp before rolling onto his side, facing away from him. "You weren't there. You didn't hear him as he grabbed at me, begging for me to help him. It took him longer to fade than the others, and he felt every single bit of it. And all I could do was stand there and watch. I was <em>useless!</em> Completely fucking useless!"</p><p>"Oh, God!" Steve rasped, squeezing his eyes closed as the tears streamed down his cheeks. This was his worst fear coming true, right in front of his eyes. He had always known that there was no way Tony would have left the Afghanistan desert if Peter hadn't survived, had always known how much of Tony's happiness was tied to their precious boy's life.</p><p>But he also knew that he couldn't allow Tony to blame himself for something so completely out of his control, no matter how badly he wanted to.</p><p>Sucking in a shuddering breath, Steve reached a trembling hand to cup Tony's shoulder, only to have him jerk away again, nearly tearing his heart right from his chest.</p><p>"Sweetheart, <em>please,</em>" he pleaded<em>.</em> "Don't—don't turn away from me now. I need you. I can't—I can't do this by myself. I just can't. Please!"</p><p>
  <em>I can't grieve for Peter if you shut me out.</em>
</p><p>Tony was quiet for several heartbeats, his skinny body way too still. "Just… go away, Steve," he finally muttered. "I just—I need to be alone. It's how I'm best."</p><p>"No, it's not, and you know it," Steve said, rather petulantly. "Being alone is the absolute last thing that you need right now, so I'm staying right here. You can ignore me all you want, but I'm not going anywhere."</p><p>Tony groaned in frustration, tossing a sharp glance at Steve over his shoulder. "Goddamn stubborn soldier."</p><p>"That's right. I am," answered Steve. He leaned back in his chair, pointedly ignoring his growling stomach. "And I'm not gonna let you give up on yourself. I love you too much to let you do that."</p><p>Tony shook his head, shuddering as he pressed his face into his pillow. "Loving me is a losing game, honey," he murmured. "Better to quit while you're ahead."</p><p>"Well, then it's a good thing that I don't quit, which you of all people should know," Steve said, crossing his arms. "So you just take your time, and when you're ready, I'll be here. But I'm not going anywhere."</p><p>Another long silence stretched across the room, broken only by the steady <em>beep, beep, beep </em>of Tony's heart monitor.</p><p>"Mmm. Suit yourself," Tony finally mumbled.</p><p>"That's better," Steve said. He reached for his coffee, giving his stomach a stern order to stand down for the time being.</p><p>He had far more important things to worry about at the moment.</p><hr/><p>Unfortunately, much to Steve's dismay, Tony's stubbornness proved to be much harder for him to deal with than he'd originally anticipated. Even after he was finally deemed healthy enough to be discharged from the infirmary, Tony refused to do much of anything, choosing to spend all of his time holed up either in Peter's section of his lab or his bedroom, literally staring at the walls or off into space. It was all Steve could do to convince him to eat something once or twice a day, not to mention try to get him to sleep, or even lie down every now and then.</p><p>It was as if Tony was convinced that he deserved nothing more than to waste away into nothingness, causing Steve to grow more and more desperate. There was no way he could begin to work through his own feelings of loss without Tony's help, and yet, as another day passed with hardly any acknowledgement from his husband, Steve felt his hold on his own demons, the demons he'd tried to keep so carefully locked away, starting to loosen. At James and Natasha's suggestion—actually, more like Natasha's insistence—he began exercising again, hoping that an everyday morning run and a few rounds with some punching bags in the gym would help clear his head a little, maybe help beat his demons back into submission. It did work, in that it helped Steve feel a bit more like himself and forced him to regularly eat and drink. But to come home and find Tony sitting on the floor of Peter's room again, clutching their son's pillow to his chest and with the tray of food he had so carefully prepared for him completely untouched, was starting to wear on Steve, tugging him that much closer to his own breaking point.</p><p>And that was something that Steve couldn't allow. He simply could not allow himself to fall into the same abyss as Tony, or there would be no one left to pull them back out again.</p><p>So he pushed his feelings aside, filing them in his mental compartment titled "Later", and kept his focus purely on Tony. Bathing him, dressing him, cajoling him to eat and then feeding him when he flat-out refused to eat on his own, Steve cared for his husband as though he were an invalid, because in many ways, he was. His overwhelming grief for Peter had him locked so tightly in its iron cage that not even Steve, with all of his serum-induced strength, could manage to break through.</p><p>And every single night, as Steve carried Tony's limp, skinny body from Peter's room to their bed, he begged the universe to help him. To give him the strength that he needed to keep going, just long enough for his husband to decide to come back to him. While Steve had never really subscribed to the same Catholic teachings that his ma had held so dear, he had absolutely no doubt that if there was any such thing as purgatory, he was currently living through it.</p><p>And, even worse, he just couldn't seem to formulate a way out of it. Couldn't seem to coerce his mind into doing anything except worry himself nearly sick over Tony.</p><p>Couldn't seem to fight his way out of the mental ice threatening to freeze him yet again, to hold him down until he had no choice but to drown.</p><p>Thanos' snap, Steve feared, would end up with far more victims than he had originally intended.</p><p>His lungs burning for air and his legs screaming for mercy, Steve slowed his pace as he approached the training dome, allowing himself a courtesy glance at the building that had been all but abandoned since the snap. He supposed if one could possibly find a silver lining in the last few months, it was that Thanos either managed to snap all of the potential Avenger villains out of existence, or they were all simply too scared to try something in the still-chaotic aftermath.</p><p>Regardless of the reasoning, aside from a few mob-like skirmishes that George Stacy and some of his FBI friends had taken care of, with a bit of help from Clint and Natasha, the Avengers as a team hadn't had to worry too much about keeping in shape.</p><p>Which was good, considering at the moment, Steve didn't even feel up to fighting against his punching bags, much less some villain out to gain control of some nuclear arsenal somewhere, or whatever other chaos they would be plotting.</p><p>Arriving back at the main building, Steve bypassed his and Tony's private entrance and headed directly for the gym. James had offered to check in on Tony while Steve was out running, an offer he insisted that Steve take when Steve tried to decline. He didn't like people thinking that he needed help with Tony, even though James and Natasha, and even Bruce, on occasion, had all recommended multiple times that he take a break every now and then.</p><p>But since the three of them were even more busy than Steve, nine times out of ten he told them no. James had become the main go-between between the civilian law enforcement agencies and the military, keeping all of the recovery efforts running smoothly, while Bruce had his hands full with Thor, who while thankfully not as catatonic as Tony, had still yet to regain any of his lost verve since Thanos' snap.</p><p>And then Natasha, who probably kept the most busy of any of them. Not only was she trying to support Clint and Pietro through their grief while in mourning herself, but she was also assisting George Stacy with his law enforcement duties and maintaining a frequent correspondence with General Okoye down in Wakanda. The two women were discussing the possibility of setting up a new international cooperative agency that would work to seek out any new potential super-villains and snuff them out before they had a chance to gain enough traction to become menacing.</p><p>Not exactly an easy undertaking. In essence, Natasha had taken on the jobs of both Nick Fury and Steve, and while normally Steve would have protested having her take over duties that he considered his, at the moment he couldn't seem to find it in himself to be upset about it.</p><p>If anything, he was embarrassed. <em>He </em>was supposed to be Captain America, and yet, there were some days when he couldn't even convince his own husband to eat, much less even think about attempting any kind of hero work.</p><p><em>Some leader I turned out to be</em>, he thought as he entered the gym, which he was relieved to see was empty. Blotting at his sweating forehead with a towel, Steve set up the first of his three punching bags, sucking in a deep breath before planting his feet and throwing a hard right hook directly into the centre of the first bag. A sharp pain immediately shot across his knuckles and up the lower half of his arm to his elbow, a harsh reminder that he had neglected to wrap up his hands before he began.</p><p>Again.</p><p>Which likely meant that the stiffness he had felt while making Tony's breakfast and tying his running shoes earlier that morning had been because he had cracked another one of his knuckles.</p><p>Again.</p><p><em>Oh well,</em> Steve thought as he gritted his teeth and threw another punch, this time a hard left jab, the pain that he felt upon impact driving him to punch again even harder. Over and over again, Steve slammed his fists into the tough canvas and leather, pointedly ignoring his rapidly increasing pain level until he realised that he could no longer feel his fingers. He stepped back, shaking out his hands as he squeezed his eyes closed, breathing in deeply through his nose. He knew that he ought to stop, maybe take a day or two off from punching to give his hands a chance to recover a bit, but he just couldn't bring himself to stop.</p><p>The pain was like an addiction now, an overwhelming driving force.</p><p>The only thing reminding him that he was still alive.</p><p>Swiping his sweat-dampened hair from his eyes, Steve planted his feet and threw another punch, one so strong that it broke the skin on his middle finger's knuckle, leaving a bright smear of blood across the bag's ivory canvas. Biting down on his bottom lip, Steve wound up again, driving his left fist so hard into the bag that it flew off its hook and slammed into the wall, sending sand scattering across the floor. He immediately cried out, both from the pain and from the fact that he now had yet another big mess to clean up.</p><p>The mess could wait, though. He still had two more bags to get through. May as well save it all till the end.</p><p>"They're just gonna wind up in the same place anyway," Steve muttered as he raised his fists and took his first swing at the second bag, biting back a curse as he heard another one of his knuckles snap, sending a fresh bolt of burning hot pain ratcheting up his arm. He immediately punched again, and again, and again, finally sending the bag sailing towards the wall, where it landed directly on top of the first. Without missing a beat, Steve stepped sideways to the third bag, swinging his fists so fast that sweat began flying off his forehead and nose, mixing in with the blood from his busted-up knuckles and leaving a sort of avant-garde splotchy mess across the skin of the bag.</p><p>"Gaahh!" Steve screamed as the third bag finally went flying, landing in a mess of spilled sand and shattered canvas. He stumbled forward, his breaths coming in short, stuttered gasps as he frantically glanced around the gym, searching for another punching bag.</p><p>Because he couldn't stop yet. From what he could tell, there were at least three of his fingers that were still intact, so he had no choice but to keep going.</p><p>He could do this all day, right? Isn't that what he'd always said whenever he'd been knocked down before?</p><p>And losing his son, and having to watch as his husband slowly faded into complete catatonic madness definitely qualified as getting knocked down, didn't it?</p><p>The only problem was, Steve was no longer convinced he could do this all day. Or even for another single second.</p><p>But he <em>had </em>to. If he gave up now, then that would be it.</p><p>He would lose. Again.</p><p>And this time, it would probably kill him.</p><p>Slowly flexing his bloody, tingling fingers, Steve began searching through the various closets and shelves for another punching bag. It had been a long time, months, since he'd run out, as before—well, <em>before—</em>Tony had always ensured that he'd had a steady supply.</p><p>But now, they were all gone. Blasted into nothingness, like Bucky, and Sam, and Wanda.</p><p>And his poor, sweet son.</p><p>His poor Peter, fading into ashes while Tony was forced to watch, completely helpless to stop it.</p><p>
  <em>I should've been there. I should've been there with them.</em>
</p><p>'Cause maybe if he would've been there, Tony wouldn't be so damned determined to shoulder the entire burden of his grief alone. Maybe he would be willing to let Steve in, to help him, so they could help each other. Lean on each other.</p><p>Have each other's back.</p><p>They were always better together. Even when things were bad.</p><p>But now—</p><p>Now—</p><p>"Oh, God!" Steve cried as he slammed the last closet door closed, raking his swollen, throbbing fingers through his sweat-matted hair. "Oh, God, I can't—I just can't do this! I just can't!"</p><p>He just couldn't bear the thought of going back to his home, knowing that Peter would never be there again, never greet him with a "Hey, Papa!" and one of his million-watt smiles. Never see him racing through the hallways as he and Pietro hurried out to play frisbee golf in the yard, or work on one of their new training programs. Never cook another meal with him in the kitchen, or hear him ask Steve to watch a movie, or play chess, or help him with his history homework.</p><p>Never see his head bent together with Tony as they worked on one of their projects together, tinkering with this or that, or some other thing.</p><p>
  <em>Oh, God!</em>
</p><p>Peter had been Steve's anchor after he came out of the ice, the one person he knew he could count on to help him navigate his way into the twenty-first century. He had taught Steve everything, from how to use the stove and microwave, to how to grocery shop—and how to pay for said groceries—and the elaborate computer systems and telephones. Without Peter to guide him, Steve would've been completely and utterly lost.</p><p>Peter had also encouraged Steve to ask Tony out on their first date, explaining that the homophobic standards Steve had grown up with were no longer acceptable. Steve could remember like it was yesterday how happy he had been when Steve told him he and Tony were getting married, and how proudly he had carried out his duties as Tony's best man during their ceremony.</p><p>And later, how hard he had fought against the Winter Soldier programming HYDRA had tried to install in him, and how he deciphered the HYDRA code that led the team to the hidden Georgia bunker, nearly singlehandedly rescuing Steve from their clutches.</p><p>And now, he was <em>gone.</em> Just… gone. Vanished. Disappeared.</p><p>With not even a body to bury.</p><p>Even on the battlefields of the war they had stopped to bury their dead once the shooting had paused. That way soldiers were at least granted the opportunity for closure, to say goodbye to fallen comrades.</p><p>But not this time.</p><p>This time, there was nothing to bury. No way to say goodbye. No way to find closure.</p><p>There was just constant, unrelenting grief. Gnawing. Aching. Chipping away at him, piece by tiny piece.</p><p>And knowing that his husband, who Steve loved more than life itself, was literally willing himself to waste away because of it, was only pouring massive amounts of salt on an open, festering wound.</p><p>Steve had feared his whole life that he would wind up alone, that he would never find someone who loved him, would never have a child he could call his own. That fear had thankfully, <em>blessedly, </em>turned out to be unfounded, but now—</p><p>Now, stuck on the precipice of losing both his child and his husband, Steve was no longer sure he could go on. No longer sure he could stand back up after getting knocked down.</p><p>He had finally discovered a bully that he couldn't defeat, no matter how hard he tried.</p><p>Drawing in a deep, shuddering breath, Steve glanced back at the door he'd just slammed, and the shield he had just happened to knock loose from a nearby shelf. Natasha had put it there shortly after they got back from Wakanda, after Steve had launched it from his and Tony's bedroom one night in a raging fit of anguish. Even now, his stomach roiled at the sight of it, at the shield he had wielded as Captain America since 1942.</p><p>The shield that had failed to win him the battle against Thanos. Failed to keep his son from dying in Tony's arms.</p><p>Failed to keep Tony from succumbing to his own guilt and despair until he was nothing more than a broken shell of the man that Steve had married.</p><p>Swiping the sweat from his eyes, Steve bent down to pick up the shield, placing it back on its shelf. Then he stepped back, sucking in a deep breath as he made a feeble attempt to talk himself out of what he was contemplating.</p><p>An attempt that failed, just as spectacularly as he had down in Wakanda.</p><p>His gaze locked on the shield, Steve clenched his jaw, slowly curling his fingers in towards his palms. Then he readied his stance, huffing out three short, sharp breaths before slamming his right fist directly into the white centre star. The pain in his hands and fingers, which had dulled down a bit during his break, immediately skyrocketed to stratospheric levels, nearly causing Steve to keel over as he quickly drove his left fist into the star, the audible <em>pop</em> of yet another breaking finger sending shivers down his spine so harsh and icy that white spots began to dance in front of his eyes.</p><p>He was almost there. One or two more should do it.</p><p>And if they didn't, well… he supposed he would just have to do this all day.</p><p>Pulling back his right hand again, Steve had just stepped into his swing when something grabbed his arm, yanking him backwards so hard that he tripped, flopping down onto the mat in an undignified heap.</p><p>"Wha-what—?" he stammered, immediately crying out as he tried to push himself up, held fast by a firm hand on his shoulder. He blinked as he tried to suck in air, so nauseous and woozy that he could barely make out the faceplate of James's armour as it snapped open.</p><p>"Jesus Christ, Cap," he said as he grabbed onto Steve's forearms, stilling him. "You know, between you and Tones, it's no wonder I'm starting to get wrinkles."</p><p>"T-Tony!" Steve rasped, groaning as a fresh wave of dizziness slammed right into his chest. It was a good thing his stomach was empty, or James would probably be wearing its contents already. "Is he—is he—?"</p><p>"He's fine, Steve. Or as fine as he can be," James said firmly as he pushed Steve into a sitting position, glaring harshly at him. "But you're sure as hell not. I mean, geez! What the hell are you doing?"</p><p>"Aahh," Steve said on a moan, shivering as wave after wave of pain washed over him. His hands and arms felt like they had been encased in ice, so frozen he could no longer even wiggle them. "I—I don't—I don't—"</p><p>"Yeah, that's what I thought," James muttered, rolling his eyes. "JARVIS, tell Bruce to meet us in the infirmary, will ya?"</p><p>"Of course, Colonel," JARVIS answered. "Dr Banner has been so informed."</p><p>"Thanks," said James as he got to his feet, hauling Steve up with him. Steve was so dizzy that he nearly swooned once he was upright, his eyes unable to focus on anything besides James's shiny armoured arms holding him up.</p><p>And how much he wished they were Tony's arms instead.</p><p>The walk to the infirmary passed in a haze of pain and nausea, and before Steve knew it, Bruce was pushing him down onto a gurney and taking hold of his right forearm, shaking his head as he examined the bloody, swollen mess that was his hand and fingers.</p><p>"Well, Cap, I sure hope this was worth it," he said as he began filling a 10cc syringe with a light amber liquid, flicking at a stubborn air bubble. Then he moved around to Steve's left side, swabbing the top of his arm with an alcohol pad as he prepared to inject him.</p><p>"Wait!" Steve forced past his clenched teeth, barely able to breathe from the pain. "I don't—I don't want anything. I wanna feel it. All of it."</p><p>"Ah, yeah, that's gonna be a no. Sorry," Bruce said firmly. He held up the syringe in front of Steve's nose, shaking it slightly. "This is enough tranquilliser for a hippo, or maybe even a triceratops, and you're gonna take it. 'Cause if you're gonna force me to reset and stitch up what looks like at least seven of your fingers and your left thumb, then I can't have you thrashing around on me while I'm trying to work. Not if you're ever gonna want to draw or paint again."</p><p>It was on the tip of Steve's tongue to tell Bruce that he had no intention of picking up a pencil or paintbrush ever again when James grabbed hold of his arm, holding it steady as Bruce jabbed him with the needle. The drug hit him like a truck, making his head spin even more as James guided him to lie back on the gurney.</p><p>"It's gonna be okay, Steve," James said, barely audible through the rush of blood past his ears. "It's gonna be okay."</p><p><em>But… it's not, </em>Steve thought as he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. <em>There's no way that it can be…</em></p><p>
  <em>No way… </em>
</p><hr/><p>Steve came to with a start, grimacing at the horrible taste in his mouth as he tried to blink open his eyes, regretting it almost instantly as a sunbeam stretching across his bed hit him square in the face.</p><p>"Mmph," he mumbled as he slammed his eyelids closed again, reopening them into slits a few seconds later. Once they had adjusted a bit, he shifted slightly, attempting to raise his right hand, which felt like it weighed about thirty kilograms, so he could reach for the cup of water sitting on the bedside table.</p><p>An attempt he aborted due to an immediate massive rush of pain, throbbing its way from the tips of his fingers all the way up to his elbow.</p><p>He'd really done it this time.</p><p>"No, no, Steve, just hold on a second," he heard Natasha say from somewhere on his left side. "Let me get it for you."</p><p>"No, I—" Steve started, hissing as the pain ramped up to an unbearable level as soon as he moved his arm again, finally giving up when Natasha planted her palm on his shoulder, halting his movements.</p><p>"Will ya just let me help you?" she said as she grabbed the cup, holding it so he could drink from the straw. "You've got two really messed up hands, Steve, so according to Bruce, you shouldn't be grabbing much of anything for a least the next three to five days."</p><p>Steve let out a heavy sigh, greatly aided by the tranquilliser still flowing through his veins. "Fine," he finally whispered. "But… you don't need to sit here with me. I know—I know you've got other stuff you'd rather be doing."</p><p>Natasha shot him a deep frown as she set the water cup back on the table.</p><p>"And what if the so-called 'stuff I'd rather be doing' is to sit here with you?" she asked. "Did you ever think of that?"</p><p>"No," Steve said after another short pause. "But… I know that you're busy, and Clint—"</p><p>"Clint's fine at the moment," Natasha cut in. "He and Pietro are playing cards in the living room. Or napping. One of the two." She leaned forward, placing a comforting hand on his upper arm. "Do you feel like talking about it?"</p><p>Steve huffed, tears burning his scratchy eyes as he looked away. Sam had always told him that he needed to talk through his 'stuff', as he'd called it, to get it out there in the open, or else it would just build up inside him, festering and fermenting until Steve did something stupid.</p><p>Like nearly burning his skin off in a shower that was way too hot. Or trying to box against his vibranium shield.</p><p>"Steve, please," Natasha said softly. "You can't keep doing this to yourself. Tony—"</p><p>"Tony hasn't even noticed," Steve spat out, instantly hating himself for speaking so badly about his husband. "He—he can't. He's so locked up inside his own mind that he—he—"</p><p>
  <em>He can't even see that I'm hurting too.</em>
</p><p>"He has noticed, though," said Natasha. "Tony may not have the ability to show it right now, but you can't tell me that he hasn't noticed. You didn't see him when you were missing, Steve. He was… well… he was a lot like he is now, at least at first. If it hadn't been for Peter, then—"</p><p>"Yeah, but now Peter's not here anymore," Steve said, gasping as soon as the words left his mouth, the realisation hitting him like a machine gun blast to the chest.</p><p>Peter wasn't there anymore.</p><p>His son. His and Tony's sweet, precious boy was <em>gone.</em></p><p>"He's gone!" Steve cried, groaning in pain as he tried to roll onto his side, halting when his hands cried out in protest. "Oh God, Nat! He's—he's gone! My boy is gone, and now… I'm just so afraid that I'm gonna lose Tony too!"</p><p>"Steve, I know Peter's gone," Natasha murmured, thick with emotion. "And there's not a single hour that goes by where I don't miss him, my sweet милая ошибка. Peter was one of the brightest lights that I've ever seen in my life, and it's just not fair that he was taken and we weren't. None of it's fair. But you also know that there is no way he would want you and Tony to go through what you're going through now. You know it, Steve. He would hate to see how much you guys are hurting."</p><p>Steve gave a nod, swiping his wet cheeks across the sleeve of his t-shirt. "Yeah, I know. But knowing that doesn't seem to help much, 'cause it just <em>hurts!</em> It hurts so damn much! It just doesn't seem real, like I'm in some neverending nightmare. I mean, I walk into the living room, and I keep expecting to see him there, reading a book or watching a movie. But he's never there! Or I go into his room, and it looks exactly like he left it, with his Legos scattered across the table and his Norse mythology books open on his bed, like he's gonna be home soon. But he's not! He's never coming home again, and I just—I just can't accept that, Nat! I just can't!"</p><p>"Then we shouldn't!" Natasha exclaimed, her green eyes wide and eager. "Steve, we don't have to accept it! Carol is here! Nebula and Gamora are here, and they can all help us! Nebula said she might even know where Thanos is, so I say that we figure out a plan, and then go and get him! Make him somehow reverse all of this!"</p><p>Steve shook his head, shuddering as more tears dripped down his cheeks. Natasha had been saying the same thing for weeks now, absolutely insisting that it couldn't be over. That the snap could somehow be reversed.</p><p>But Steve just couldn't see <em>how.</em> Even if they could locate Thanos, he had beaten them once already, and beaten them badly.</p><p>So who's to say he wouldn't just do it again, and kill even more people?</p><p>"I wish—I wish I could agree with you, Nat, but I just can't," Steve murmured. He dropped his head, blinking more fat tears from his eyes. "I just can't take the chance that we'd lose again. I've… I've already lost enough."</p><p>Natasha pursed her lips, her eyebrows knitting together into a sharp glare. "Well, you're not the only one who lost people, Steve. But I guess I'm still the only one trying to do something about it."</p><p>"Nat—"</p><p>"No, no, it's okay," Natasha said quickly. She pushed herself up from her chair, forcing a smile. "I'm gonna go see what Clint and Pietro are up to now, okay? I'll… come by and check on you later."</p><p>"Nat, you don't have to," Steve said, wishing with all of his might that he could just disappear into the uncomfortable infirmary mattress. "And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I can't be what you want me to be right now, but—"</p><p>"Steve, that's not it," Natasha sighed as she plunked back down onto the chair. "I guess I just never expected you to take this one lying down. After everything you've been through, and everything you've overcome, I guess I just never thought you would meet something that would actually beat you."</p><p>Steve's lower lip shook as he studied his hands, clad in their heavy blue casts. Captain America blue, even.</p><p>"Well, neither did I," he admitted. "Even before the serum, I never thought that I would—" He broke off, gulping against the knot in his throat. "You know, I grew up taking hits, just about every single day. And in a way, I used to welcome it. 'Cause if all the bullies were busy hittin' me, that meant they weren't hittin' someone else. And then once Pearl Harbour happened and the U.S. entered the war, I begged the Army to take me 'cause I knew it was the right thing to do. I was gonna die soon anyway, or at least that's what all the doctors kept saying, so I figured that I may as well die fighting some of the biggest and baddest bullies around, right? And then after I got the serum, well… then I could finally fight back. Finally give them a taste of their own medicine, you know?"</p><p>"Yeah, I might know a bit of what that's like," Natasha said with a slight smile. "And then you started your HYDRA campaigns."</p><p>"Yeah," Steve murmured. "I was determined to rid the world of HYDRA, even if it meant sacrificing myself."</p><p>"And you did, Steve," said Natasha. "You did rid the world of HYDRA, even if it wasn't quite in the way that you thought."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess…" Steve trailed off as he noticed his wedding ring sitting on the bedside table, next to his water cup. Bruce must've had to remove it before setting his fingers. It was very unsettling for him to see it anywhere besides on his finger, as the last time he'd had his wedding ring taken from him had been when HYDRA took him prisoner.</p><p>And Steve had been so distraught when he'd realised that he had lost his ring that Tony had made him a new one as soon as he was able to come home, sliding it onto Steve's finger just like he'd placed his original ring during their wedding ceremony.</p><p>And Steve hadn't taken it off once while he'd worked to flush out the remaining embedded HYDRA agents from their foxholes, a feat he had finally deemed successful only a few short weeks before the appearance of Thanos' army.</p><p>"You're right, Nat," he added. "But I just… I just don't know if I can rid the world of this. It's just… I just don't think that I can."</p><p>Natasha let out a heavy sigh as she got to her feet. "Well… maybe you'll change your mind once your hands are healed up, so… just take it easy for awhile, okay? I'll come back and see ya later."</p><p>"All right," Steve whispered, slumping back against his pillow as soon as Natasha left the room. He tipped his head, dragging his eyes back to where his wedding ring sat on the table, sparkling in the sunlight. It was the perfect summer day outside, the kind of day that Peter used to adore since he didn't have to worry as much about getting too cold. The kind of day that often saw him and Steve fishing out on the lake, or playing catch or baseball out in the yard. Steve, Peter, Sam, and Clint against Bucky, Natasha, Wanda, and Pietro, with Tony serving as both the cheering squad and the occasional umpire.</p><p>They lost thirteen baseballs during one of those pickup games last summer, a fact that Tony had greatly enjoyed reminding Steve of all the way up until Thanos invaded.</p><p>And what Steve wouldn't give to hear one of Tony's goofy remarks now.</p><p>What he wouldn't give to have Tony even speak to him at all. Acknowledge that he still existed, even if he wished that Peter had made it instead of Steve.</p><p>Despite the pain throbbing with every single beat of his heart, Steve felt himself nodding off again, the dinosaur tranquilliser apparently even stronger than Bruce had said. Right away, he fell into a dream, a happy, peaceful dream that he instantly decided he never wanted to wake from.</p><p>
  <em>Peter, alive and well as he competed in one of his Decathlon tournaments, answering questions in rapid-fire fashion as Steve and Tony watched proudly from the front row, clutching each other's hands.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His team won, of course. As if there was ever any doubt.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Watching him graduate from high school at the top of his class, presenting his speech to an auditorium packed with admirers and well-wishers.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Packing him up to go to college at MIT, his father and James's alma mater, sharing a dormitory room with his friend Ned.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Watching him get married, and have children of his own.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Everything that Thanos had robbed them of when he snapped his fingers.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Steve," Steve suddenly heard Tony say, sounding like he was very far away. "Steve, honey, it's time to wake up. You need to eat something."</em></p><p>"<em>No. I don't want to," Steve answered, grimacing as the pain in his hands began to ramp back up. And how in the world was he supposed to eat with two non-functional hands anyway?</em></p><p>
  <em>Don't make me wake up, he thought. There's nothing left for me out there.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Steve," Tony said again. "Honey, please. You won't heal if you don't eat."</em></p><p>"<em>No!" Steve said, a bit more sharply this time. "I don't want to!"</em></p><p>
  <em>He heard Tony sigh, and felt a hand cup his cheek, the skin a bit softer and less calloused that he remembered, but otherwise still the same.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Steve," he pleaded. "Honey, I'm here. And it's time to wake up now. You can sleep some more after you eat."</em></p><p>Slowly, and under protest, Steve peeled his eyelids open, blinking rapidly in the still-bright sunlight as he tried to brace himself to face his harsh reality once again.</p><p>A reality where he had no son, and no husband.</p><p>"Steve," he heard, flinching at the soft, tentative tone of the voice he had feared he might never hear again. "Honey, it's okay. I'm here."</p><p>"Tony," Steve gasped, the name ripping from his throat like a jagged blade. His eyes went wide as he took in his husband's face, a bit more drawn and pale than his usual, but still <em>there.</em> With him.</p><p>"You're—you're here!"</p><p>"Yeah, honey, I'm here," Tony whispered, his eyes dragging down the length of Steve's casted arms, resting on stacks of small pillows. His lips twitched as he met Steve's eyes again. "Always the dramatic one, aren't you? If it's not diving out of windows from thirty stories up, it's busting the hell outta your hands."</p><p>Steve sucked in a sharp breath, clenching his jaw to keep his tears contained. "Tony—"</p><p>"No, no, it's okay," Tony said quickly. He reached for a bowl of chicken broth sitting on the bedside table, bringing it under Steve's chin. "Bruce says you've gotta drink this before you get anything else, even though it'll probably only last you about three minutes or so. But if you're able to hold it down okay, he'll bring you something more substantial when he comes back."</p><p>"And then I can leave here?" Steve asked, not taking his eyes off his husband's face. "I don't—I don't wanna—"</p><p>"As long as you promise not to punch anything for a while, yeah?" Tony said sternly. "And for Christ's sake, Steve, I mean it."</p><p>"Okay," Steve said, nodding rapidly. He licked at his dry lips, still staring at Tony like he was afraid he would disappear. "Tony, I just—"</p><p>"Shh, honey," Tony whispered, pressing his fingers over Steve's mouth. "I know, but not now, okay? Let's just… get home first."</p><p>"Home," agreed Steve. <em>Our home.</em></p><p>
  <em>Together.</em>
</p><p>"Home," Tony repeated, indicating the bowl in his hands. "Now, less talking, more eating, yeah?"</p><p>"Yes," murmured Steve as he obediently opened his mouth, taking a big sip of the broth. It was only lukewarm, and barely more substantial than water, but his stomach welcomed it eagerly anyway.</p><p>"That's better," Tony said once he was finished, blotting at a drop on Steve's chin that had managed to escape. "Bruce said he'd be back in about an hour, so—"</p><p>"It's okay," Steve cut in. "I'm just—oh God, Tony, I'm just so relieved to see you here."</p><p>Tony's shoulders dropped, and he let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah. Honey, I'm—I'm… well… I guess I'm not sure—"</p><p>"That's okay," Steve interrupted. "Tony, it's okay. You're here now, and—and—"</p><p>
  <em>And now, maybe we can finally start to heal.</em>
</p><p>"Can I—can I hold you?" he added, glancing down at his all-but-useless arms. "Please? I know this doesn't magically fix anything, but—"</p><p>Tony's lower lip shook as he glanced down at Steve's chest. "Yeah, honey," he whispered. "I'd—I'd like that."</p><p>"Oh," Steve said on a gasp as Tony kicked off his shoes and carefully climbed onto the narrow bed, laying his head down on top of Steve's chest as Steve's heavy left arm settled across his waist. As soon as he was in place, it was like the weight of the world was suddenly lifted from Steve's back, and he found himself so overwhelmed that he could barely breathe.</p><p>Tony, his beloved husband, was there with him, willingly lying in his arms, which meant that maybe—just maybe—there was a fighting chance that they would somehow be okay.</p><p>Someday.</p><p>"Tony—" he managed, only for Tony to quickly shush him.</p><p>"Not now, honey," Tony whispered, his eyes already closed. "Let's just rest a bit first, yeah?"</p><p>"Yeah. Okay," Steve whispered back. Then he closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of Tony's hair as he allowed sleep to take him, no longer afraid to dream.</p><p>XXXX</p><p>The process of grieving, Steve had learned, was a fickle one, full of fits and starts, forward progress and backpedaling. Growing up without a father, as a boy Steve had watched his ma mourn her husband, killed on the field of battle half a world away, for most of his life. Later, losing his ma at age eighteen had forced him to mourn her in much the same way, all while still learning how to be a man in a time that didn't allow him to seek the kind of comfort that he desired.</p><p>And then losing Bucky, and being forced to grieve for him while still fighting the war, well… after that, Steve wasn't sure if he'd ever learn how to do it properly.</p><p>But what Steve discovered, as he and Tony began the long, arduous path of grieving the loss of their son, was that there really was no 'proper' way to mourn. There was only their way.</p><p>Their way that included watching old home videos of Peter, and laughing at his silly toddler and little-kid antics. Of going through his room, and then deciding that they weren't quite ready to do anything with it just yet. Of still occasionally crying, and yelling, and even screaming at the unfairness of it all. At the unfairness of losing so much time that they could've had with him.</p><p>But most of all, remembering the time that they did have with him, and trying—trying so damn <em>hard</em>—to be thankful for it.</p><p>And all the while, learning how to be spouses again. How to comfort each other, how to lean on each other, and how to back off when one of them needed some space for a little while.</p><p>As the weeks stretched on, as the summer faded into autumn and then winter, Steve and Tony slowly grew back together.</p><p>It was a crisp, late winter day as Steve rose from their bed, the sun just peeking over the horizon as he laced up his running shoes. With a final kiss pressed to Tony's pillow-creased cheek, Steve headed out towards the kitchen, where he found Natasha sitting at the breakfast bar drinking a cup of coffee as she poured over a pile of papers.</p><p>"You're up early," Steve said as he quickly downed a litre bottle of Powerade, swiping his mouth with his wrist once he was done.</p><p>"Yeah, just going over some documents for George Stacy," she said. She set her coffee cup down, giving Steve a slight smile. "Couldn't sleep last night for some reason, so I thought I'd get an early start."</p><p>"Well, let me know if you need any help later, okay?" Steve said. Tony had mentioned something about venturing into his lab the night before, which Steve had been absolutely ecstatic about. It had been months since Tony had done anything other than set a single tentative foot inside his workspace, and Steve was hoping that once he got in there, he would maybe feel compelled to start tinkering again.</p><p>Yet another step in his healing process.</p><p>"Yeah, I will," said Natasha. She smiled as Steve tossed his crushed-up bottle into the recycle bin. "Enjoy your run. Looks pretty nice out there today."</p><p>"Yeah, it does," answered Steve, looking out the big kitchen windows. While there was still a thin layer of snow covering most of the yard, the sun was bright, the trees were starting to bud, and the ice covering the lake was starting to break apart.</p><p>Spring was coming, and Steve had always loved spring. It was like the Earth was being reborn.</p><p>But he'd barely taken three steps out of the kitchen when JARVIS suddenly came over the speakers.</p><p>"Pardon me, Captain, Agent Romanoff," he said. "But there appears to be a guest waiting at the front gate of the Compound who is requesting access to the residence."</p><p>"A guest?" Steve said as he glanced back at Natasha, who simply shrugged. "JARVIS, show us who it is, please."</p><p>A second later the kitchen's view screen lit up with an image from the security camera guarding the Compound's gated driveway entrance. Steve squinted as he struggled to identify the ugly brown striped van in the image, and the man standing in front of it, frantically waving his arms.</p><p>"Ah, hello? Do you guys remember me?" the man said. "I'm the one who kinda tried to break into your house a little over a year ago?"</p><p>"Oh my God!" Steve exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "That's Scott Lang!"</p><p>"Scott Lang?" Natasha said, taken aback. "But wasn't he reported as missing?"</p><p>"That is correct, Agent Romanoff," said JARVIS. "Mr Lang was reported as missing by his former wife, approximately one month following the snap."</p><p>Steve gave a nod. "Yeah, that's what I thought. But…" He trailed off as he tilted his head, hoping against hope that he wasn't somehow imagining things.</p><p>"JARVIS, let me talk to him, please."</p><p>"Very good, Captain," JARVIS said after a short pause. "Mr Lang can now hear you."</p><p>"Ah, Scott?" Steve said, grunting when Scott nearly jumped out of his skin. "Um… this is Captain Rogers. Can you please tell us what you're doing here?"</p><p>"Oh, Captain! I'm so glad to hear your voice!" Scott nearly shrieked. He raked his fingers through his disheveled hair, gesturing towards his van. "Um… I know—I know this is probably gonna sound pretty crazy, but… well… I think—I think I might have an idea on how to fix all of this."</p><p>"Uhh," Steve stammered, his heart seizing in his chest as he looked over at Natasha, who appeared to be just as shocked as he felt. "Um… can you explain a bit more about what you mean? Fix all of this… how?"</p><p>"Well… see… that's the thing. I'm not really sure how," said Scott. "But I was kinda hoping that you guys could help me figure it out 'cause… well… I'm pretty confused as hell as to what's happened here, and I figured if anyone knew, it'd be the Avengers. So… you think I can come in? It's—it's a bit cold out here."</p><p>"Ah…" Steve shot Natasha a questioning look, getting a shrug in response. "Ah, sure, Scott. JARVIS, can you please direct Mr Lang on where he can park his van? We'll meet him at the front door."</p><p>"Of course, Captain," answered JARVIS. The screen went blank a few seconds later, with the sound of a chugging van filling Steve's ears shortly thereafter. He and Natasha were silent as they headed towards the residence's entryway, his heart thudding a staccato beat against his ribcage.</p><p>"Hello, Mr Lang," Steve said as he opened the door, allowing Scott to step inside. The man looked like he'd just driven across the entire country, which, based on what Steve remembered of him, was probably exactly what he had just done.</p><p>"Yeah, um… hi, Captain Rogers," Scott said, giving Steve a rather awkward wave. "And Agent Romanoff, I've—I've heard a lot about you too."</p><p>"Hello," said Natasha, rather warily. "So, can you tell us what this is all about?"</p><p>"Ahh, yeah. Or at least I hope I can," Scott said. He clasped his hands together, shifting nervously.</p><p>"Have either of you ever heard of the Quantum Realm?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The next chapter will post by Monday, January 11th 😊 </p><p>As always, I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t hesitate to hit that kudos button and leave me a comment!  💖</p><p>Emoji Key for those who don't know what to say in the comments!<br/>❤ = you wish you could kudos again<br/>😭 = I got you right in the feels<br/>🔥 = this was so hot/ sweet!<br/>🐰 = it’s so fluffy!<br/>😣 = the angst is killing me!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here’s where stuff gets a bit technical.  Please understand that this is researched to the best of my ability, but while I am a medical professional, I am not a physicist, so if what I discuss in this chapter is not completely correct physics-wise, please don’t come after me 😊.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Ahh, the quantum <em>what?"</em> Steve asked. He'd of course heard Tony and Peter mention the word quantum before, usually in the context of discussing their nanotechnology or one of Peter's physics assignments. But he had never heard the term 'realm' used in conjunction with it before.</p><p>"Are you talking like, a place? Or—or some kind of—"</p><p>"Yes!" Scott exclaimed, wagging his index finger towards Steve. "Yes, Captain, that's exactly it. The Quantum Realm is a place. It's a place where—where I just—" He broke off, running a shaky hand through his hair. "I mean—"</p><p>"Okay, so, how 'bout you come inside and tell us some more about it, hmm?" Natasha cut in. "No offence, but you look like you're about ready to fall over."</p><p>"Huh?" Scott said, his shoulders dropping less than a second later. "Oh, geez, I am so sorry. You probably think that I'm just… um… yeah. Yeah, I'd love to come inside. That'd be—that'd be great. Thanks."</p><p>"Okay," Natasha said slowly as she and Steve led Scott into the living room, where he immediately began pacing a path between the two big couches. "Um… well, I'd offer you some coffee, Scott, but—"</p><p>"No!" Scott exclaimed, scrubbing a shaking palm down his face, which was covered in a thick five o'clock shadow. "Ah, I mean, no, thank you, Agent—Agent Romanoff. I've probably drank enough coffee in the last three days to fill the Pacific Ocean, so—"</p><p><em>A man after Tony's own heart, </em>Steve thought. "Okay, then, maybe some food?" he asked. "When was the last time you ate something?"</p><p>Scott paused his frantic pacing, tilting his head up towards the ceiling. "Ahh… I'm actually not—I mean, I don't—I don't exactly know, so—"</p><p>"It's okay, Scott, I don't need you to tell me an exact time," Steve assured him. "Do you like peanut butter?"</p><p>"Oh, I <em>love </em>peanut butter!" answered Scott, sighing so heavily that he nearly tipped over. "Thanks—thank you, Captain. Rogers. For the—the offer."</p><p>Steve gave a quick nod. "Yeah. I'll be right back."</p><p>Shooting Natasha a raised eyebrow, Steve hurried into the kitchen, grabbing the bread and the jar of peanut butter as he tried to will his thudding heart to calm down a bit. There were so many possible ramifications of Scott's sudden reappearance that his mind was racing, and he absolutely did <em>not </em>want to get ahead of himself before they had gathered some more information.</p><p><em>Maybe Scott and his ex-wife just really don't get along? </em>Steve thought as he added a banana and a bottle of water to the plate of three sandwiches. But even as he thought it, he knew it was unlikely. Tony had been keeping pretty close tabs on Scott ever since they had paid off his back child support over a year ago, and from everything they had seen, he, his daughter, his wife, and her new husband seemed to all get along well. Scott had even had a new lady friend himself, a woman named Hope, who had also been reported missing by the former Mrs Lang.</p><p>And who just happened to be the daughter of Hank Pym, who, while not officially reported missing, had not been seen by anyone since Thanos' snap.</p><p>Carrying the food and water back into the living room, Steve found Natasha sitting on the arm of one of the couches warily eyeing Scott, who was sitting so close to the edge of a cushion that Steve was surprised he hadn't slid off.</p><p>"Here you are, Scott," Steve said as he offered him the plate. Scott immediately grabbed one of the sandwich halves, biting off a huge chunk and groaning in appreciation.</p><p>"Oh, thank you, Captain," he said through his mouthful. "I am <em>starving!"</em></p><p>"Yeah, uh, and when was the last time that you slept?" asked Steve. "'Cause if you don't mind me saying, you look a little peaked."</p><p>Scott shook his head as he stuffed the rest of the sandwich half into his mouth. "I'm pretty sure it was somewhere in the middle of Kansas. Or maybe it was Nebraska? I can't be sure, you know those flat states in the middle there all kinda look the same. I was trying to just drive straight through, but then I got to the point where I started smelling colours, so I thought it'd be best to pull over for a bit."</p><p>"Yeah, that was probably smart," Natasha said, raising her eyebrows as Scott went to work trying to peel the banana. "So… you mentioned something about the Quantum Realm? Can you tell us a bit more about that?"</p><p>"Mmm, yeah," Scott said, nearly swooning as he chewed his huge mouthful of banana. Then he popped the cap on his water bottle, downing nearly half of it before swiping his wrist across his mouth. "Whoa. I feel so much better now."</p><p>"That's good, Scott," Steve said evenly. He was trying hard to hold onto his patience, especially since Tony would probably be waking up fairly soon. "So, the Quantum Realm?"</p><p>"Yeah. The Quantum Realm," Scott said as he fiddled with the cap to his water bottle. "Okay, so… however many months ago when… well, you know—"</p><p>"It was ten months ago," said Steve. He, of course, knew exactly how many days—even how many hours—it had been, but didn't feel that was a necessary addition to the conversation. "Almost exactly ten months."</p><p>"Yeah," Scott said as he picked up another sandwich half. "So… ten months ago, I was, well, I was inside the Quantum Realm. Um… Hank, Captain, you know of Hank Pym, so… well, ah, anyway, that's probably not all that important. Um… not too long ago, Hank discovered that one of his old partners, this professor guy named Bill, had been taking care of a child who had been hit with some kind of experimental quantum blast, a blast that ended up killing her father. Long story short, this girl, who's not really a girl anymore, but that's not really relevant to the conversation either, so… Anyway, this woman now requires regular treatment with these quantum… particle things in order for her to stay healthy. So the day that Thanos happened, I was inside the Quantum Realm collecting the particles, and Hope, my—well, my—"</p><p>"Your lady friend?" Steve prompted.</p><p>Scott gave a rapid nod. "Yeah. My—my lady—well… she was supposed to pull me out. But when she got—she got—"</p><p>"Snapped?" offered Natasha.</p><p>"Yes," answered Scott, pointing directly at Natasha. "And when she disappeared, I got stuck inside there."</p><p><em>Oof, </em>Steve thought, glancing briefly at Natasha, who grimaced. <em>That had to have been rough.</em></p><p>"I'm so sorry, Scott," he said quietly. "That must've been pretty scary."</p><p>Scott gave a nod, shoving the rest of his sandwich into his mouth. "Except that it probably wasn't as much as you're thinking. You see, the Quantum Realm is like its own microscopic universe. To get in there you've got to be incredibly small. And time, well, let's just say that it doesn't work at all like it does out here. The rules in the Quantum Realm are, well, actually there really aren't any rules. Everything's unpredictable. So even though I was gone for about ten months out here, for me it was only about ten minutes."</p><p>There was a pause of about three heartbeats before Scott's words sunk in.</p><p>"Ah, you were only gone for ten minutes?" Natasha said, finding her voice. "How is that possible?"</p><p>"That's the thing, I don't know!" exclaimed Scott. He bit off part of his final sandwich half, washing it down with a big gulp of water. "Hank didn't really explain it to me much before I went in there, so I don't really know how it works. All I know is that I got stuck inside 'cause Hope disappeared, but once I did get out, to me only ten minutes had passed." He held out his arm, letting it flop to his side. "So you can imagine that I was just a little freaked out when I noticed how different everything was, and everything that had happened. I mean, Hope was gone, Hank and his wife were both gone, my own daughter was almost a whole year older <em>and </em>thought I was dead, and—"</p><p>"We're all well aware of how chaotic it's been these last ten months, Scott," Steve said in his Captain's voice. He didn't add that from his perspective, Scott might've actually had it a bit easier, believing he had been gone for only ten minutes. "But what exactly did you drive all the way across the country here to tell us?"</p><p>Scott sucked in a deep breath. "I came out here to tell you that time works differently in the Quantum Realm. The only problem is right now, we don't have a good way to navigate it."</p><p>"Okay. And?" Natasha asked. "Based on what I know about quantum physics and everything that you've told me so far, it seems like it's pretty uncontrollable."</p><p>"Yeah, but that's the thing! What if it wasn't?" Scott asked. "What if we could somehow control the chaos, and fix all of… this? What if there was a way that we could enter the Quantum Realm at this point in time, and emerge in another point in time? Before Thanos?"</p><p>"Okay, okay, just hold on a second there," Steve said, raising his hand. This was starting to sound way too much like something out of one of Peter's movies. "'Cause it sounds like you're talking about a time machine."</p><p>Scott crossed his arms, looking rather sheepish. "Um… no, of course not. Not a time machine. More like a—"</p><p>"But you are," Natasha cut in, her expression morphing into one of such anticipation that Steve's belly swooped. "He's talking about somehow reversing the snap. Of bringing everybody back. And in order to do that, we'd need—"</p><p>"A time machine," Steve finished. He shook his head, breathing in deeply. "Scott, I'm sorry. But you have to understand what that sounds like."</p><p>"Yeah, I know it sounds crazy," Scott said quickly. "But I just can't stop thinking about it! I mean, Hope's mom survived for almost thirty years inside the Quantum Realm, and when she came out she looked exactly the same as when she went in! So there has to be a way to do it, there just has to!" He huffed out a sharp breath, throwing up his hands. "And I figured if anyone would know how to do something like this, it'd be—well, it'd be the Starks—I mean, <em>Mister </em>Stark, and Dr Banner."</p><p>Steve's heart gave a painful lurch at Scott's near slip of the tongue. As heavily as Steve and Tony had always guarded Peter's privacy, Tony had told Steve way back in the beginning that their son's genius intellect wasn't much of a secret, and even less so amongst the Stark Industries employees.</p><p>Of which Scott was, as his position as a cyber-security consultant was still active.</p><p>"Look, Captain, please forgive me if I'm way outta line here, but I know you and Mr Stark lost your son in the snap," Scott quietly continued. "And over a year ago, you guys helped me get my daughter back from what seemed like an impossible situation, even after I tried to break into your house. And so I'd just—well… if this crazy idea could somehow work, then… I guess I'd just really appreciate the opportunity to do the same for you. And for everyone else who's lost someone, or someones."</p><p>"Oh," Steve whispered, gasping as the smouldering embers of the anguish he'd been carrying ever since the snap suddenly flared back to life. All this time he'd been trying to convince himself that he and Tony just needed to move on, that they needed to acknowledge that Peter was never coming back and try and pick up the pieces of their lives. But now—</p><p>Now—</p><p>"Steve?" Natasha said, softly, but still enough to cause Steve to startle. "Steve, this could do it! This could bring everybody back!"</p><p>"Nat—"</p><p>"Steve, you know the stones are destroyed, so this could be our only chance!" she exclaimed. "You know we have to try!"</p><p>"I don't know anything," Steve snapped, wincing when Natasha's eyes went wide. "Look, I'm not saying that—well, to be honest, I'm not really sure what I'm not saying. All I can think of at the moment is that this just seems way too much like <em>Back to the Future</em>, and aside from the fact that that's only a movie, so not real, we all know how well that ended up going."</p><p>"Right. And Captain, I totally get that," said Scott. "I would completely agree with you if I hadn't actually experienced it for myself."</p><p>Steve shifted on his feet, his arms tightly clasped across his front in what Peter had always called his 'concerned Papa pose'. He had no doubt that Scott was telling the truth, and that he truly believed that what he was proposing was actually possible.</p><p>He just had to be very, very careful. Hope that they could actually accomplish what Natasha had been wishing for all this time, that they could actually somehow reverse the snap, was probably the most fragile of hopes that Steve had ever thought to conjure.</p><p>A hope so fragile that it couldn't yet even be whispered, out of fear it would simply vanish again.</p><p>Just like his sweet son had vanished.</p><p>"We should at least explain all of this to Tony and Bruce, Steve," Natasha said firmly. "Let them decide if it's possible or not."</p><p>"Yeah, I know," Steve said after a short pause. "Just… I need to talk to Tony on my own first, before we mention anything to Bruce. Something like this… I just need to handle it very carefully."</p><p>Natasha sighed, but nodded. "Yeah, I get it."</p><p>"Thank you." Steve turned back to Scott, who was glancing between Steve and Natasha like he was watching a volleying tennis ball. "Scott, how 'bout we show you to one of the guest rooms? Let you get cleaned up? Maybe take a nap?"</p><p>"Whoa," Scott said, his eyes going wide. "You're gonna let me stay here? Like, in your house?"</p><p>"Well, we're not gonna make you sleep in your van, if that's what you were thinking," said Steve. He jerked his head towards the hallway that led to the three guest suites. "There are two other families staying with us that you might run into, but it should still be plenty quiet."</p><p>"Oh, I'm used to noise, so that's no big deal," Scott said. "After I got out of prison, I had to live in this hotel that always had music blaring, and—"</p><p>"Sounds good," Steve cut in. He held out his hand, indicating Scott to get in front of him. "Once I show you to your room, I'll get you some clean clothes. There should be soap and shampoo and anything else that you'll need already in there."</p><p>Scott bobbed his head. "Yeah, okay. Thank you, Captain. I really appreciate this."</p><p>"It's no problem," Steve said as he opened the door of the one-bedroom guest suite. "I'll leave some clothes outside the door for you, and if there's anything else that you need, just ask JARVIS for help. We can reconvene after you've had a chance to get some rest." <em>And I've had a chance to break this to Tony.</em></p><p>"JARVIS," Scott slowly repeated. "Ah, okay."</p><p>Steve had just turned to leave when Scott spoke up again. "Ah, Captain?"</p><p>"Yeah, Scott?"</p><p>"Um… how do you know that the stones were destroyed?"</p><p>Steve shifted on his feet, crossing his arms. "Two of our guests searched Thanos out a few months ago."</p><p>"Really?" Scott asked with wide eyes. "And they actually found him?"</p><p>"Yes," answered Steve. "But before they could do anything, Thanos snapped his fingers again, destroying the stones and a good part of the planet where he'd settled. They were barely able to escape with their lives."</p><p>"Yikes," Scott said, wincing. "That… well… that really sucks."</p><p>"Yeah," Steve quietly agreed, forcing a smile. "Make yourself comfortable, Scott. We'll all speak again in the morning."</p><p>After depositing some clothes and a new pair of shoes outside Scott's door, Steve hurried back to his own suite to find Tony awake and propped up on the bed, reading on his tablet. He looked up as Steve entered, raising a curious eyebrow.</p><p>"Hmm. You look like someone cut the ends off your shoelaces," he said. "Something happen on your run?"</p><p>"No, not exactly," Steve said as he sat down on the side of the bed. He bit down on his bottom lip, unsure exactly where to begin.</p><p>"Well, then how 'bout you just start at the beginning, yeah?" Tony prompted, as if he'd completely read Steve's mind.</p><p>Steve gave him a soft smile. "Yeah," he murmured. "I guess that's usually a good idea."</p><p>"Yeah," agreed Tony. "So…?"</p><p>"So." Removing his shoes, Steve shifted on the bed so he was facing Tony, reaching for his left hand. "I never made it out for my run this morning."</p><p>"Yeah, hon, I kinda already guessed that since you're not currently glistening with sweat," Tony said with a wink. "Still waiting on the why, though."</p><p>Steve dropped his head, twirling Tony's wedding ring around his finger. While it wasn't as loose as it had been when he'd first arrived home after the battle, it was still more wobbly than Steve would've preferred. Despite all of the progress they had both made in the last few months, there were still times, usually around a holiday or some other especially memorable time, when Tony's mood would dip too low and he would shut down again. Steve hated those times. Hated having to cajole and beg and plead with his husband not to slip away from him again. To remind him that Steve loved him, and that he needed him.</p><p>That they were always better together, no matter what.</p><p>
  <em>Whatever it takes.</em>
</p><p>"Steve?" Tony asked, his eyebrows knitting together. "Hon, I gotta say that you're starting to freak me out a bit here. What's going on?"</p><p>"Ahh," Steve stammered, breathing in deeply through his nose. "Someone showed up here, right before I was set to go out on my run, and… well…"</p><p>"Okay," said Tony. "Who?"</p><p>Steve lifted his head, clenching his jaw. "Scott Lang."</p><p>Tony's eyes narrowed, then widened as the realisation hit him about three heartbeats later. "Uhh… how, exactly?" he asked. "'Cause wasn't he listed as one of the—one of the—"</p><p>"Yes, sweetheart, he was," answered Steve. "Scott was listed as one of the missing. But I'm telling you that he's here, now. Nat and I just spent about thirty minutes talking with him, and then I put him in one of the guest rooms 'cause he was about to drop from fatigue. But he's here. He drove clear across the country to get here."</p><p>Tony's lips twitched, his expression otherwise unchanged. "Okay, so… why? Why'd he come here?"</p><p>"Mmm," Steve mumbled, his fingers tightening around Tony's hand. "To tell us that he might know a way that we could—we could fix things."</p><p>"Fix… things?" Tony asked, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. "Fix what, exactly? And if Lang didn't get snapped, then where the hell's he been all this time?"</p><p>"Well, that's the thing. Scott said that he didn't get snapped," said Steve. "He said that this whole time he was stuck in something called the Quantum Realm. And that once he got out, he could've sworn that only ten minutes had passed."</p><p>"Ten minutes?" Tony yelped, sitting bolt upright on the bed. "But how in the hell—Steve, that doesn't make any sense! How—?"</p><p>"He doesn't know, Tony, which is why he came here," Steve stated. "He brought the device that he used to enter the Quantum Realm, and he said he was hoping that you and Bruce could maybe figure out how to work it. And then—"</p><p>"And then, what?" Tony asked, rather warily.</p><p>"And then, if you guys can figure it out, we could try and fix things," Steve whispered. "Scott said that since time works differently inside this Quantum Realm, and so if we could figure out how to navigate it, we could then reverse the snap and bring people home."</p><p>"P-people?" Tony stammered. "We could—"</p><p>"We could bring them all home," Steve said as tears welled in his eyes. "Sam, and Bucky, and Wanda, and—and—"</p><p>"And, Pete?" Tony asked, so tentatively that it made Steve's heart do a flip. "We could—?"</p><p>"Yes!" Steve rasped. "Tony, we could bring Peter home, and he would barely even know he'd been gone!"</p><p>Tony's cheeks paled into that ashen, greyish colour that never failed to make Steve's heart skip a beat or three, as it always meant that he was either terrified, or horribly, horribly sick.</p><p>"Holy shit," he whispered. "It's like a deus ex machina, out of some goofy ancient sci-fi novel or something."</p><p>"Yeah. That's exactly what it is," Steve whispered back. He brought Tony's hand to his lips, kissing it over his ring. "But does that make it any less likely to work? I mean, if anyone could even attempt to figure this stuff out, it's you and Bruce."</p><p>"Yeah, but… honey, even if Bruce and I could figure this out, that doesn't mean it's gonna work," Tony said, his voice quivering slightly. "And if we try, and then it doesn't—Steve, I don't—I don't think I could—"</p><p>"Shh, sweetheart," Steve murmured as he drew Tony into his arms, tucking his head under his chin. "That's the same exact thought I'm having right now. What if? What if we do all of this, if we dare to hope that—and then it just <em>doesn't?</em>" He leaned back, cupping Tony's face in his hands. "But even so, after everything we've seen and been through over the years, can you honestly say that there's no possible chance you could make this work?"</p><p>Tony's brown eyes were glassy as he reached his left hand up to cover Steve's. "You know I can't. But, honey, what if we just end up screwing things up even more? What if we—?"</p><p>"I don't believe we would," Steve said firmly. "Because we wouldn't do a damn thing without testing it all up, down, and sideways, and then again three more times. We wouldn't go anywhere or do anything until we know it's gonna work. No matter how long it takes." He paused, unable to stop the hope from blooming deep inside his gut. "Tony, think about it! We could have him back! We could have Peter back here with us, and if we can work it so he doesn't even have to remember what happened, well… then…"</p><p>"Then there's not even any leftover shit for him to have to deal with," Tony finished.</p><p>"Exactly," said Steve. "This wouldn't be like the cave, or Stane and Killian, or even all those semi-enhanced attacks that he went through. Sweetheart, if we time this right, Peter might not even have to know what happened!"</p><p>"Oh, Christ, you know how much I love that giddy optimism of yours," Tony rushed out. "But honey, as much as I might want to, I can't promise anything until I get a good look at what Lang's brought us. 'Cause if it's based on what Hank Pym's been up to, then… well… there's no telling how messed up it is."</p><p>"And you know I wouldn't ask for anything but your honest opinion on it, mo grá," said Steve. "We'll just take this one small step at a time." He drew Tony close again, his entire upper body trembling in anticipation. "One step at a time, so we don't get ahead of ourselves."</p><p>"You mean even more ahead of ourselves?" Tony asked, muffled against Steve's chest. He was trembling too, more evidence that the hope Steve had been trying hard to keep contained was now out there, out in the open.</p><p>There was no turning back now.</p><p>"Yeah," Steve whispered into Tony's hair. He squeezed his eyes closed, holding his husband as tightly as he dared. "I love you so much, sweetheart."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess I'm pretty fond of you too," said Tony. He tipped his head back, sniffing as he wiped a tear from his cheek. "Even when you dump a whole boatload of work onto my lap. Actually, more like several boatloads."</p><p>Steve sputtered out a laugh, very grateful that he hadn't caught Tony on one of his really bad days.</p><p>"I'm thinking this might be even more than several boatloads," he whispered as he pressed a kiss to Tony's forehead. "But I promise I'll be right here with you the whole time. No matter what you need."</p><p>"Just… patience, I think," Tony murmured. "Which I know isn't your strongest suit, but… I'm thinking you're gonna need quite a bit of it, and enough for the both of us while you're at it. This might take awhile, honey. As much as I'd like to, I can't cut any corners here."</p><p>"I know. And that's okay," Steve said with a nod. At the moment, he honestly didn't care how long it took if it meant they could get their son back. "I'll… I can be patient."</p><p>"'Kay," whispered Tony. The corners of his mouth drew into the slightest of smiles, one that Steve couldn't help but mirror.</p><p>Hope was a dangerous thing, and something that Steve had never put much stock in, preferring to go on facts and plans instead.</p><p>Tangible things. Things that he could manipulate at will whenever necessary.</p><p>But now, hope, in all of its delicate glory, was all that they had.</p><p>And so, Steve embraced it, as tightly as he embraced his beloved husband.</p><p>As tightly as he would embrace their son, once he came home to them.</p><p>
  <em>Whatever it takes.</em>
</p><hr/><p>"Okay, Scott, just run through it for us again, yeah?" Tony asked, indicating Scott's so-called Quantum Tunnel that was shoved into the cab of his ugly-ass brown van. The van was currently parked directly underneath the huge A embossed on the Compound's outside wall, almost the same exact place where Tony and Steve conducted Peter's first ever driving lesson. "What exactly did old man Pym tell you about this thing?"</p><p>Scott sighed heavily, letting his hands flop onto his knees. "Look, I'm really sorry, Mr Stark—"</p><p>"Tony," Tony cut in. "Call me Tony."</p><p>"T-Tony?" Scott stammered, glancing furtively at Steve. "Uhh…"</p><p>"We're all teammates here, Scott," Steve said in his Captain's voice. "And there's no need for that kind of formality among teammates."</p><p>Scott bobbed his head. "Um… okay. So, then, T-Tony, I'm really sorry. I'm an engineer, but I still don't understand much of anything about this stuff. Hank just said that as long as I didn't mess too much with the regulator on the suit that I'd be fine, so…"</p><p>"Okay, but here's the thing, Scott," said Bruce from his perch just inside the van's dual back doors. "Tony and I understand the basic premise behind what you call the Ant-Man suit. But what you're describing, this whole Quantum Realm thing, it just goes against all the laws of physics that we know."</p><p>"Yeah, and we know all of 'em," added Tony. He grabbed the stuffed polar bear he'd snuck out of Peter's room, scratching it behind its fuzzy ears. He'd been doing that a lot in the last few months, fiddling with Peter's toys while he tried to work, and even more so in the twenty-four hours since Scott Lang showed up on their doorstep.</p><p>"Okay, and I completely understand that," Scott insisted. "But I'm telling you that I've been inside the Quantum Realm twice now. And Hank's been in there, and so has Hank's wife. And she was stuck in there for thirty years before Hank found her again, so there has to be some way that we can figure out how to make this work."</p><p>Tony sighed, scrubbing his palm down his face as Steve gently squeezed his shoulder. Under any other circumstances getting to mess around with the laws of physics—and with time-travel, even if Tony was flat-out refusing to call what they were tinkering with actual time-travel—would fill him with his usual hyper-creative energy. But with what was potentially at stake, Tony found that he just couldn't seem to muster up his usual excitement for it.</p><p>If they got one single tiny little thing even the slightest bit off, then the whole thing would fall apart. And quite possibly take all of them with it.</p><p>"Mmm," muttered Tony as he grabbed hold of his tablet. "JARVIS?"</p><p>"At your service, sir."</p><p>"Pull up those files that Pete and I used when we replicated the Pym Particle, yeah? I'm specifically looking for Pym's description of the things." There was something on the tip of his brain that he knew might help them, but couldn't for the life of him remember what— "Yep, there it is," he said as the files began scrolling across his screen. "According to Pym, the Pym Particle formula actually alters the relative distance between atoms."</p><p>"Right," Bruce said as he leaned over Tony's shoulder, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "But doesn't all that mess with—?"</p><p>"The Planck Scale? Yep," answered Tony. He turned to Scott. "Which means that when Pete and I were messing around with these things, we chose to chalk that part up to Pym being nothing but a delusional old man and then ignored it."</p><p>"Okay," said Scott, scratching the back of his head. "Ah, why?"</p><p>"Because it's bullshit," said Tony. "Changing the relative distance between atoms messes with the Planck Scale. So, theoretically, you shouldn't even be here."</p><p>"Okay, but… I still am," Scott said, frowning. "And what the hell is a plank scale?"</p><p>"The Planck Scale is a set of universal limits that govern the laws of physics," explained Bruce. "It basically means that what you say you went through doesn't abide by those laws, and that not even the particles themselves abide by those laws."</p><p>Scott shrugged. "Well, I can't say I don't have experience with not abiding by laws, and I'm sure there's also a law somewhere out there that says that people can't communicate with ants either. Or turn into massive green rage monsters, but—"</p><p>"Okay, we're starting to get a bit off track here," Steve cut in. "Regardless of the laws of physics, obviously Mr Pym was able to create these particles way back in the eighties, right?"</p><p>"Eh, more like the seventies," said Tony.</p><p>Steve frowned. "Okay, but didn't he resign from SHIELD in the eighties?"</p><p>"Ah, yep," said Bruce. "And it was a good thing that he did, since one of the guys trying to steal the particles ended up being exposed as a HYDRA mole."</p><p>Steve let out a shiver at the mention of HYDRA, just enough for Tony to notice. Even though HYDRA was finally completely dead and gone, Steve still didn't appreciate having to hear its name mentioned.</p><p>"Yeah, but, even if we assume Pym was right and the particles don't follow the rules as stated by the Planck Scale, then that means there's no good way to predict what might happen once we start messing with this thing again," Tony said. He huffed out a sharp breath, tilting his head at Scott. "It might mean that you just happened to accidentally survive thanks to some billion-to-one cosmic fluke. Not exactly what I would call great odds."</p><p>"No, maybe not," Steve said after a short pause. "But Tony, didn't you tell me that Dr Strange mentioned something about fourteen million possible outcomes of the battle with Thanos?"</p><p>Tony winced, remembering the eerie look in Strange's eyes as he explained to Tony his dire prediction. Over fourteen million different possible outcomes, and only two of those that could lead to Thanos' defeat.</p><p><em>Well, we sure as hell found one of the losing ones, </em>Tony thought, tapping his fingernails against his tablet. He briefly wondered if Strange had known then that he was going to die, or if it came as a surprise later on.</p><p>"Yeah, hon, I did. But—"</p><p>"Okay, so then maybe, just for the sake of argument, we should assume that the particles aren't constrained by the Planck Scale and just go from there," Bruce interrupted. He stood up from the van, nearly tripping over one of his shoelaces that had come untied before turning to Scott. "Now, you said that the Quantum Realm is like its own micro-universe, correct?"</p><p>"Ah, yeah," answered Scott. "That's how Hank described it."</p><p>Bruce nodded, yanking on his shoelace. "Okay, and the whole goal of using the Quantum Realm is to try to reverse the snap, right?"</p><p>"That's right," said Steve.</p><p>"Right," Bruce said. "So that would involve us going back in time, wouldn't it? And also involve us having to deal with all of the possible ramifications of going back in time?"</p><p>"Uhh," Tony said, cringing. <em>There's the whole time-travel thing again.</em></p><p>"Yeah, but that should be okay if we strictly follow the rules of time-travel, right?" asked Scott. "I mean, like no talking to our future selves, no betting on sporting events, no—"</p><p>Tony cut him off with a raised hand. "Scott, please, just… stop. This isn't gonna be <em>Back to the Future</em>, no matter how much you wish it was."</p><p>Scott's jaw opened and closed. "Well… yeah, I know—of course I know that, but—"</p><p>"That still leaves an infinite amount of universes that we'd have to navigate through in order to find the correct one," said Bruce.</p><p>"Which could potentially take an infinite amount of time," finished Tony. "Not exactly what I would call plausible."</p><p>"No, not exactly," agreed Steve. "So how do we get around that?"</p><p>"Well…" Tony trailed off as he glanced at Bruce, who simply shrugged. "Based on the many-worlds interpretation, we can't just jump into another universe and start messing around, but we could potentially take a peek into those other universes in order to find the exact way of how we can win."</p><p>"Uhh… so now you're talking about parallel universes?" Scott asked, obviously confused. "'Cause if so, I'm pretty sure we've just jumped right out of <em>Back to the Future</em> and landed smack down in the middle of <em>Star Trek</em>, which means that—"</p><p>"Yes! That's exactly what it is!" Steve exclaimed, his blue eyes wide as he looked down at Tony, obviously understanding that reference. "So it wouldn't be like Yesterday's Enterprise, it'd be more like Parallels!"</p><p>"Ah, sure," Bruce said with a frown. "Except that since I'm not a complete sci-fi geek like you guys, I'm just gonna assume that we're all talking about the same thing here. Which means using the Quantum Realm as a way to search for one of the two universes where the outcome is a victory."</p><p>"Okay, okay, but what the hell is this many-worlds thing?" Scott asked, looking almost frightened. "'Cause that sounds more like something out of <em>Game of Thrones</em>!"</p><p>"No, it's not—huh?" Bruce asked. "What the hell is a game of thrones? Is that like chess?"</p><p>"No—" Steve started.</p><p>"Don't worry about it, big guy," Tony said quickly. "And no, Scott, we are still firmly planted in <em>Star Trek</em>. At least for the moment."</p><p>Bruce blinked, shaking his head. "Okay, but none of this is based on some TV show, this is actually based in reality. Well, at least some kind of reality." He took off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. "After I landed inside Dr Strange's sanctum and told him and Wong what had happened on Thanos' ship, they explained a bit about the stones and the sanctum itself. And apparently, the person, or wizard, I guess, who'd been in charge of the place before Dr Strange got there had had some experience with travelling between universes."</p><p>"Oh?" said Tony, raising an eyebrow. "And how'd that work out for 'em?"</p><p>"Ah, not well, according to Wong," said Bruce. "In fact, it almost resulted in the demise of our entire realm, but that's kinda getting off point a bit."</p><p>"Argh," moaned Scott, rubbing at his eyes with his fingers. "And I used to think that Hank's technobabble was confusing."</p><p>"Have we completely lost ya there, Scott?" Tony asked, shooting Steve a rather sly wink.</p><p>"Uhh, I'm pretty sure I'm still stuck somewhere in <em>Back to the Future</em>," Scott answered. "Or maybe <em>Game of Thrones</em>. So—"</p><p>"I think what they're saying is that it might be possible for Tony and Bruce to use the Quantum Realm as a kind of a spyglass," Steve said. "A way to view all of the possible outcomes without actually changing them."</p><p>"Which is basically what Strange did on Titan," said Tony. "Guy took a sneak peek into all of the possibilities in about three minutes flat."</p><p>"Okay, but… then what?" Scott asked after a short pause. "No offence, but how does that help anything?"</p><p>"Once we know how to win, then we go back in before the point in our time where we branched off from the winning timeline, and fix things," explained Tony. "Think of it like a tree, where a bunch of different timelines are all branching out from a single trunk. At a certain point they all started out in the same spot, so—"</p><p>"So we just have to figure out where our timeline branched off, and then go back to just before that specific point," finished Steve. He shot Tony a quick smile. "Isn't that right?"</p><p>"Yeah, hon," Tony said proudly. "That's exactly right."</p><p>"But won't that take like, forever?" asked Scott. "I mean, you said it yourself that there's literally an infinite number of universes."</p><p>"There is," said Tony. "Which means that along with the time-space compass I'm gonna have to build, Bruce and I will also have to write an algorithm for JARVIS so he can help us eliminate the universes that have no chance of being the right ones."</p><p>"Like the universes where you never meet Hank Pym, for example," said Bruce. "Or where the Chitauri don't attack New York. Things like that."</p><p>"That makes sense," Steve said, as he placed his hand rather possessively on Tony's shoulder. Chancing a glance up at him, Tony wasn't surprised to see that his jaw was tight enough to cut glass, as he could sense what Steve was thinking as clearly as if he were broadcasting it through JARVIS's speakers.</p><p>The thought of there being universes out there where they weren't together, or hadn't even met, did not sit well with him.</p><p>Or with Tony. Were there universes out there where Steve didn't defeat the Red Skull? Where he was taken over by HYDRA and turned evil? Where he himself was evil?</p><p>Or, even ones where he and Steve fought? Like, literally tried to kill each other?</p><p>It was a damn good thing they could eliminate all of those.</p><p>"Okay, so, obviously most of this is going to fall on Tony and Bruce to figure out," Steve added in his Captain's voice. "So I'm thinking that the rest of us should start training, prepping to face Thanos again. 'Cause as soon as we're able to find the information that we need to beat him, we'll need to move. Scott?"</p><p>"Yes, Captain?" Scott answered, immediately standing at attention.</p><p>"Are you ready to join us for training?" Steve asked.</p><p>Scott's jaw slammed against the driveway. "Uhh, you mean—you mean join the Avengers? Are you kidding?"</p><p>"No, I'm not," Steve said plainly. "If you're going to be accompanying us when we fight Thanos again, then you'll need to join us for our training sessions. Since Tony and Bruce won't be able to while they're working on this other stuff, it'll be even more important for the rest of us to know what we'll need to do."</p><p>"Uhh, yeah, that—that makes sense," Scott said, nodding rapidly. "Um… good thing I brought the suit with."</p><p>"Yeah, it is, since the big guy and I will need it to make similar suits for the rest of us," said Tony. "I'll have JARVIS start on a couple spares right away."</p><p>"Sounds good," Steve said, giving Tony's shoulder a squeeze. "Then let's get started. Tomorrow morning, 0800 at the training dome. I'll inform Natasha and Clint. And Thor too, maybe this'll give him the jolt of energy he needs to get back on his feet."</p><p>"Aye, Captain," Scott said, offering Steve a salute that he quickly waved away. "Um… so does that mean that I'm—"</p><p>"You're dismissed for the moment, Scott," said Steve. "We usually all eat dinner together at 1900, so the rest of the day is yours."</p><p>"Oh, great. That's great," Scott said. "'Cause I just remembered that I probably should give Cassie a call and let her know that I got here, and—"</p><p>"I'll walk you back inside, Scott," Bruce cut in. "Tony, say… your lab in about thirty minutes?"</p><p>"Sounds good, big guy," said Tony. "You bring the coffee. Preferably in very large quantities."</p><p>As soon as Bruce and Scott were gone, Tony turned to Steve, tipping his forehead against his chest as Steve's arms curled around him, gathering him into his solid warmth.</p><p>"Holy shit, hon," he whispered. "We're really gonna do this."</p><p>"I know," Steve murmured, so low and thick that a knot rose in Tony's throat. "And I was trying—Tony, I was trying so <em>hard </em>not to get my hopes up, but I just don't think I can help it anymore. This has to work. It just <em>has </em>to."</p><p>"Yeah," Tony said into Steve's chest, the <em>thud, thud, thud </em>of Steve's slow, steady heartbeat beneath his ear fighting against his own almost overwhelming urge to either panic or cry.</p><p>Or both, if he were truly honest.</p><p>Tony was used to a lot of trial and error in his experiments. In fact, aside from parenting, he often enjoyed the errors almost more than the trials, as they provided him with the same kind of rush that he got when he drank too much coffee, or drove too fast around a sharp corner.</p><p>But with this… there literally was no room for error. If he and Bruce were off by even the tiniest fraction of a percent, then the team would lose. That was all there was to it.</p><p>And this time, there would be no possibility of another second chance.</p><p>"It's gonna work, mo grá," Steve murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of Tony's head. He trailed his palms up and down Tony's back, sending pleasant shivers of heat through Tony's body. Heat that he hadn't felt since <em>that </em>day.</p><p>The day that had lived in infamy ever since.</p><p>"You think so, do ya?" he asked, lifting his head to stare into his husband's eyes, so bright blue—with just the lightest touch of green—in the late-morning sun that they almost didn't seem real. The very same sun that was filtering through Steve's blond hair, giving him an almost halo-like effect.</p><p><em>Like an angel,</em> Tony thought.</p><p>Tony had already likened Steve to an angel once, almost six years earlier in that godforsaken Afghanistan desert. Steve had saved Peter's life without a single second's hesitation on that awful day, setting in motion a chain of events that would've had even the most prolific fiction authors shaking their collective heads.</p><p>Tony could almost hear their scoffing now. "<em>Superheroes? In New York? You must be joking."</em></p><p>But this… this was no joke. What they were going to attempt to do would literally alter the course of their entire universe.</p><p><em>Or simply knock it back on its course, </em>Tony thought, the Steve-influenced, optimistic part of him peeking its head from behind the iron curtain that had dropped the day that Peter died in his arms. Because he supposed if he could look at their task from the perspective of it being a course correction instead of fix, then maybe—<em>just maybe</em>—it wouldn't sound quite as daunting.</p><p>Or ominous.</p><p>"I do, because it has to," Steve said firmly. "And not only for Peter, sweetheart. This is for everyone. We all lost. All of us, so… whatever it takes."</p><p>"Yeah," Tony whispered. Sometimes it was so easy to get lost in his own grief, he would forget that millions of others around the world were experiencing the very same thing as him and Steve.</p><p>And if they truly were heroes, like they liked to think they were, then he supposed they owed it to the world to try.</p><p>
  <em>Whatever it takes.</em>
</p><hr/><p>"Okay, what're we missing here?" Tony asked from his spot cross-legged on the floor of the lab, the blue holographic image of the time-space GPS he'd constructed, or compass, according to Steve, hanging in the air above his head. He let out a sigh as he raised his arms up over his head, tipping his head from side to side to try and stretch out his aching shoulder and back muscles. He would definitely have to take Steve up on his offer for a backrub later.</p><p>"I don't know," replied Bruce, so forlornly that Tony couldn't help but wince. Stepping through the hologram, he ruffled through his scattered piles of papers, pulling one out that was so creased and bent and covered in coffee stains that it was barely readable. "We're doing everything right, or at least from what I can tell. But we just can't seem to nail down this final variable, which means—"</p><p>Tony suddenly gasped, the idea hitting him so hard that he nearly tipped backwards. <em>What if…?</em></p><p>"Uhh, Tony?" Bruce said with wide eyes. "Care to share with the rest of the class?"</p><p>At first Tony shook his head, still working the logistics through his mind. Finally, he snapped his fingers.</p><p>"What if we don't need that final variable?"</p><p>Bruce's head snapped back in surprise. "Ahh, and why not?"</p><p>Tony picked up his coffee cup, draining over a third of the lukewarm liquid as he frantically searched for one of his own papers. "We've been using celestial coordinates to try and nail down the anchor point for the GPS system, right?"</p><p>"Ah, yeah," said Bruce. "Why wouldn't we?"</p><p>"Okay, but what if the reason why we're still having trouble locking down that final variable is because we don't really need it?" Tony asked. He showed Bruce the paper, one where he had scribbled down his best interpretation of what the Quantum Realm might look like based on Scott's descriptions.</p><p>"Okay, but that looks like a micro-universe," Bruce said with a confused shrug. "Just like Scott said."</p><p>Tony nodded rapidly. "Yeah, I know, but here's the thing, and honest to God we're gonna have to thank our kid for this when he comes home, 'cause this is really all thanks to him, but—"</p><p>"Tony—"</p><p>"Right." Gulping down the rest of his coffee, Tony picked up his pencil and proceeded to trace a series of straight lines that cut directly across his drawing. Once he was done, he showed it to Bruce, impatiently tapping his fingers on his knees as Bruce studied it.</p><p>"Okay… so…" Bruce finally said, removing his glasses. "If I'm reading this right, you're trying to say that the final variable isn't necessary because we're treating the Quantum Realm as a tunnel instead of an actual endless space."</p><p>"That's exactly it!" Tony exclaimed. "'Cause we are technically using it as a tunnel, which means we'll be travelling through it just like a ship that's travelling at warp speed."</p><p>"Warp… speed?" Bruce asked, frowning deeply. "Tony, is this more of your <em>Star Trek</em> nonsense again?"</p><p>Tony gave a sheepish shrug. "Well… yeah, it kinda is, but it also makes sense when you think about it." He shifted, poking at his left foot which had fallen asleep. "Look, I can understand why you're confused since I don't remember Thor's ship having this capability. But the ship that took Pete and I to Titan did, 'cause Pete recognised it. It's why Strange couldn't use one of his portal things to get us off it before we landed on Titan. Or crashed, if you feel like getting specific."</p><p>"'Cause you were travelling at warp speed?" Bruce asked, looking almost pained.</p><p>"Yep. And Strange said that because of that, it was too fast for him to safely generate a portal," answered Tony. "Which means, if we use warp as a basis for our travels through this quantum tunnel, then we technically don't need that final variable because it doesn't factor into the warp calculations."</p><p>"And these warp calculations are an actual thing?" Bruce asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "And not just in some TV show?"</p><p>"Yep. JARVIS?"</p><p>"At your service, sir."</p><p>"Do me a favour and run the numbers again, and this time disregard that final unknown variable," Tony said.</p><p>A second later the equations scrolled across Tony's screen, displaying the exact coordinates that the team members would need to calculate their anchor points in the tunnel. Tony glanced up at Bruce once it was fully displayed, trying to gauge his reaction.</p><p>"So… what do ya think?"</p><p>Bruce huffed, removing his glasses as he stepped closer to the screen. "Ahh, well… I honestly can't say that—"</p><p>"But it's right, right?" Tony interrupted. "I mean, even the scriptwriters didn't make this stuff up for the show, they got it from actual scientists."</p><p>"Several of which were actually SHIELD consultants at the time, doctor," added JARVIS.</p><p>"Yeah," said Tony, pointing at the ceiling. "What he said."</p><p>"Well, all TV shows aside, these numbers look good to me," Bruce said as he pocketed his glasses. He stepped around the hologram, tapping his chin. "So… then… does that mean we're actually ready to test this thing?"</p><p>"Ahh…" Tony trailed off as his heart began to quicken. It sure seemed like they were ready. They had the quantum suits, the compass—<em>GPS</em>, and now the calculations with which to program it, so as far as he could tell, they had all of the pieces assembled. The only remaining task was to put them together.</p><p>"Yeah," he murmured. "I think we are."</p><p>Bruce gave a nod. "Well, then I think we should tell the team."</p><p>"All righty," Tony said as he pulled himself up to his feet, swearing when his prickly foot protested being forced into use. "J?"</p><p>"Yes, sir?"</p><p>"Ah, go ahead and start on the render for the devices, yeah? Let's just make three for now, we can make the rest once we're able to test 'em out. Oh, and why don't you get another batch of the Pym Particles going too, yeah? I have a feeling we're gonna need 'em."</p><p>"Of course, sir. Estimated time for render and construction for three devices and particle sets is eight hours."</p><p>"Sounds good, J. Thanks."</p><p>"You are most welcome, sir."</p><p>Heading out of the lab, they found the rest of the team sitting in the living room, evidently continuing the discussion they had started over dinner the previous night. They all fell silent as Tony and Bruce approached, with Steve's gorgeous face so tentatively hopeful that Tony's heart gave a lurch.</p><p>"You guys have something?" he asked.</p><p>"Yeah, hon," Tony answered. He sucked in a deep breath, jerking his head towards Bruce. "Calculations are done and JARVIS is getting started on rendering the devices now, so… we should probably decide who's gonna be the first to go in."</p><p>"That's easy," Steve said as Tony sat down next to him. "I'll go first."</p><p>"Nah, Cap," said Clint. "I can do it."</p><p>"No," stated Thor. "It should in fact be me who makes this initial attempt, for I am far less likely to be affected by—"</p><p>"Um, with all due respect," Scott said, raising his hand. "Don't you guys think I should go first? Since I'm the only one who's been in there before?"</p><p>"Ehh, actually I'm thinking it might be better for either Tony or myself to go in first," Bruce said. "That way if we sense an issue once we're inside we can make on-the-fly changes to the GPS."</p><p>Steve's expression immediately darkened, his arm tightening around Tony's shoulders. "I'm not sure if—"</p><p>"Honey, Bruce is right," Tony said, gently but firmly. "And really, even if the thing malfunctions somehow, the chances of getting so-called lost in there are minimal. I've programmed the GPS with the same frequency as the nanites in the suits, so if someone misses a check-in, all you'd have to do is search out that frequency and you'd be able to find 'em."</p><p>"All right," Steve said after a short pause. "But I'd like the first few trips to be quick ones. Just long enough to test out the devices."</p><p>"Agreed," said Tony. "So… what're you guys up to, hmm?"</p><p>Steve's jaw twitched, his gaze dropping to his lap. "We were just discussing the mission, along with all of its ramifications," he said quietly. He brought his hand to the back of Tony's neck, digging his fingertips so deliciously into Tony's sore, tight muscles that Tony had to stifle a groan of pleasure. "I wanted to make sure that no one had any objections to what we're planning to do."</p><p>"Ah," Tony murmured, nodding. In the three weeks since Scott had showed up on their doorstep, both he and Steve and they and the rest of the team had had numerous discussions about the fact that they were basically "playing God", for lack of a better term.</p><p>And every single one of those discussions had come to the same conclusion: going back to reverse the snap by essentially preventing the snap from occurring was the only way to prevent the absolute pandemonium that had ensued as a result of it. Steve had explained how difficult those early days were to Tony during his convalescence after breaking his hands, telling him it was even more difficult to coordinate than the bombing of London had been during the war. The near-collapse of many of the world's governments, the halting of trade routes for food and other essential supplies, and the crashing of airplanes, trains, and cars as their pilots and drivers disappeared, leading to even more deaths.</p><p>Thanos had thrown the entire planet into chaos, and had had the gall to call it mercy.</p><p>And, based on what Carol explained whenever she touched base from her travels—which always seemed to be when Rhodey was around, now that Tony thought about it—none of the other planets in the universe were faring any better.</p><p>No. It was better to simply prevent the snap from occurring rather than try to reverse it. Even if doing so meant that some babies wouldn't be born or relationships wouldn't be formed, the tragedy of having potentially tens of thousands of people reappearing at thirty-plus thousand feet or over the open water because their planes and boats were no longer in the same place would be far, far worse.</p><p>Not to mention far, <em>far</em> less traumatic for the people who were snapped.</p><p><em>Especially Pete, </em>Tony thought, instantly earning an extra squeeze from Steve. Their boy had already been through enough shit to last three full lifetimes. He definitely deserved a pass on this one.</p><p>"And? Anything changed that I should know about?"</p><p>"No," stated Natasha. "We're all on the same page. Just…"</p><p>"Just wish it didn't feel so… heavy," added Clint.</p><p>"Yeah, but as much as it might be uncomfortable, it's actually good that it is," said Steve. "I'd be worried if we weren't taking this as seriously as we are."</p><p>"Yeah, babe," Tony murmured, earning another comforting squeeze to his sore left trapezius muscle. If anyone could understand having to potentially sacrifice a few people for the sake of billions, it was Steve. He had been forced to make many such decisions during the war. Decisions that still haunted him, kept him up at night.</p><p>As Tony was certain this one would as well.</p><p>"No one'll know the difference, hon," Tony whispered as Thor started one of his rants about how he was planning to rip the gauntlet from Thanos' arm by ripping off his actual arm, a manoeuvre he had insisted on practising during their most recent training sessions.</p><p>"Yeah, I know," Steve whispered back. "But we will."</p><p>Tony sighed, burrowing further into Steve's side as Thor grew louder and his gesturing grew more and more animated. He supposed it was a good sign that Thor was back to telling stories again, as for a long time he had been just a shell of his former self.</p><p>At the moment, though, Tony didn't feel like listening to the boisterous god of thunder. In fact, all he really wanted to do was curl up in his husband's arms and go to sleep.</p><p>Closing his eyes, Tony felt Steve's lips press against the top of his head, whispering a soft, "It's okay, sweetheart. I've got you."</p><p>
  <em>I've got your back. And I always will.</em>
</p><p>And less than three seconds later, he was out.</p><hr/><p>"All right, I think we've got everything where it needs to be," Steve said as he emerged from the training dome's breaker room. "The breakers are all set, and the emergency generators are on standby."</p><p>"Sounds good," Tony said as he made a couple final adjustments to the GPS unit, fitted onto the left sleeve of his suit. He and Bruce had based a lot of their design of the quantum suits on Scott's Ant-Man suit, but Tony had insisted on completely redesigning the helmet, as the 1890s deep-sea diver look had never done much for him.</p><p>Satisfied with the GPS, Tony squared his shoulders, trying to convey to Steve that he wasn't as nervous as he felt. His brief living room nap aside, neither of them had slept well the night before, with what little sleep they did manage to get plagued with nightmares of sinking airplanes and people breaking apart like leaves.</p><p>If this didn't work, then…</p><p><em>Nope, </em>Tony thought firmly. <em>We're not going there.</em></p><p>"I'm ready, hon," he said instead, giving Steve what he hoped was an encouraging nod. "Let's get this party started."</p><p>"All right," Steve said in his Captain's voice. He bent down, giving Tony a quick kiss on the cheek. "Please, be careful."</p><p>Tony forced a smile. "Ah, you know me. I'm always one for a good party."</p><p>"Yeah," Steve said, his own smile equally forced. "You've got three minutes, okay? After that, no matter what, we're pulling you out."</p><p>"Yeah, hon, I know." Tony winked as he tapped the device on his wrist, activating his helmet. "I'll see ya soon."</p><p>"All right, Tony, we're almost there," Bruce said from the U-shaped command set-up, elbowing Thor in the side when he tried to peer at the monitors. Next to Thor stood Natasha, furiously taking notes on a notepad while Clint read over her shoulder, his left hand clutching Pietro's elbow.</p><p>The whole team was there. Even Gamora, Nebula, and Rocket, the three remaining Guardians of the Galaxy, were there to witness the experiment.</p><p>"C'mon, big guy. Let's go," Tony said when Bruce started muttering to himself, finally flipping the final switch.</p><p>"All right. Entering the quantum tunnel in five… four… three… two… one… mark!"</p><p>Before Bruce had even finished speaking, Tony felt a hard tug right behind his navel, gasping as less than a nanosecond later he was transported into the tunnel.</p><p>"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, fighting to keep his eyes open as he raced along what could only be described as parallel warp trails, arriving at his pre-calculated coordinates before he'd even had time to take another breath. As soon as he stopped, Tony blinked, then blinked again, not quite believing what he was seeing.</p><p>He had obviously overcorrected in his course calculations, something both he and Bruce had anticipated might happen given that this was just the initial run-through. But as the realisation of what he was looking at washed over him, Tony couldn't help but believe that something other than science was at work here.</p><p>Because him arriving at <em>this </em>particular point in time could only be described as fate. Nothing more, nothing less.</p><p>"<em>Doctor, his O2 sats are dropping again!" </em>a nurse called, stepping back from the small, rectangular-shaped plastic container with a small syringe in her gloved hand. "<em>Blood gas is reading eighty-seven percent!"</em></p><p>"<em>He needs the oscillator!" </em>replied the doctor, who while masked, gowned, and bent over the tiny, motionless infant lying in the incubator, was someone that Tony instantly recognised.</p><p>His name was Doctor Mark Goldman, the Chief Neonatologist at Mount Sinai Medical Centre in New York City. The very same doctor who had saved Peter's life after he was born over eight weeks prematurely.</p><p>The very same doctor who had then called Tony in the wee hours of the morning to tell him that he had a son, and that if he wanted to meet him before he died, he'd had better get his ass down to the hospital ASAP.</p><p>His heart in his throat, Tony watched as the oscillating ventilator was wheeled up next to the baby's bedside, watched as Dr Goldman hooked it up to his tiny son's endotracheal tube, no larger than a coffee stirring stick.</p><p>Watched as he audibly pleaded for Peter's numbers to return to normal. Or at least, to be better than they were.</p><p><em>Which wasn't compatible with life, </em>Tony thought, sniffing as a tear rolled down his cheek. The exact words he had used when he'd explained Peter's condition to Tony.</p><p>"<em>All right," </em>the doctor said a few minutes—<em>or was it an eternity?</em>—later. He removed his surgical cap, rubbing at his eyes under his glasses. "<em>I'm going to go call the father," </em>he told the bedside nurse<em>. "Let me know the second anything changes."</em></p><p>"<em>Yes, doctor," </em>replied the nurse. As soon as Dr Goldman was out of sight, she turned to the respiratory therapist, who was still writing down Peter's vital signs. "<em>Did you hear who the father supposedly is?"</em></p><p>"<em>No," </em>said the RT. "<em>Who?"</em></p><p>The nurse leaned closer, whispering conspiratorially. "<em>Tony Stark."</em></p><p>"<em>What?"</em> the RT exclaimed. "<em>Are you serious?"</em></p><p>"<em>Yep. I was part of the code team when he was born, heard the mother say it," </em>the nurse explained. "<em>She clearly stated that Tony Stark is this baby's father."</em></p><p>The RT's eyes were wide as she tucked her pencil into the pocket of her scrubs. "<em>Wow, that's incredible! So you think Dr Goldman will actually get him to show up here?"</em></p><p>The nurse shook her head. "<em>Not a chance in hell. Didn't you hear he was chased out of yet another nightclub just last night?"</em></p><p>"<em>No! Another one? How many is that now?" </em></p><p>"<em>At least a dozen, I saw it on the news before I came in. Something 'bout being unnecessarily drunk and disorderly."</em> The nurse let out a sigh as she glanced down at his tiny son, not even the length of Tony's forearm. "<em>One of my friends knows someone that he went to college with, and she said that Tony Stark is one of the most egotistical, narcissistic people she's ever seen. There's no way he'll show up here, which means this poor little thing will probably end up in foster care. If he even survives."</em></p><p>"<em>Well, you never know," </em>the RT said with a shrug. "<em>Maybe he'll surprise us and show up anyway. Prove that he can think of someone other than himself."</em></p><p>"<em>Eh, I guess we'll see," </em>replied the nurse. She leaned closer to the incubator, smiling fondly. "<em>He sure is a cutie though. I really hope he makes it."</em></p><p>"He will," Tony choked out, wishing he could at least wipe the goddamn tears from his eyes. "He will make it, and he's gonna make it again. He's gonna come back."</p><p>
  <em>We'll make sure of it.</em>
</p><p>Barely even blinking, Tony watched as Dr Goldman returned, informing the shocked nurse that he'd gotten a hold of Tony Stark, and that he would be arriving at some point during the night. Then he tweaked a setting on one of Peter's monitors and left again, presumably to wait in his office for Tony's arrival.</p><p>"<em>Did you hear that, sweet little thing?" </em>the nurse cooed once Dr Goldman had left. "<em>Your daddy said that he's coming to meet you, so you just gotta hang in there until he gets here, okay? Can you do that for me?"</em></p><p>Choking back a sob, Tony yelped as he felt another sharp tug behind his navel, indicating he was being pulled from the tunnel. A second later he was standing back inside the training dome, dazed and confused as Steve rushed over to him.</p><p>"Tony? Sweetheart, are you okay?" Steve asked, obviously alarmed as he gently wiped the tears from Tony's cheeks. "Are you hurt? What happened in there?"</p><p>"I'm not hurt, honey," Tony said quickly. "I just…" He trailed off, unable to find the words.</p><p>"Tony?" asked Natasha. "What did you see in there?"</p><p>Sucking in a deep breath, Tony turned to Steve. "I saw him, hon. I saw Pete, the day he was born. The day—"</p><p>"The day that you saved him," Steve finished. He curled his arm around Tony's shoulders, planting a kiss on his forehead. "You went there, to that hospital, and you stayed there. You stayed there for weeks while he grew stronger, never leaving his side. Isn't that what you've told me?"</p><p>"Yeah," Tony whispered, the memories of those precarious first few hours with his new baby boy hitting him like a repulsor blast. "Yeah, that's right. I was—I was such a fuck-up back then, and he—he completely changed my life. And now—now—"</p><p>"And now we're gonna save him again, mo grá. I promise," Steve said. "Whatever it takes."</p><p>Tony nodded, swiping his wrist across his eyes.</p><p>"Yeah," he said. "Whatever it takes."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The next chapter will post on Monday, January 18th 😊 </p><p>As always, I can’t wait to hear what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment! 💗</p><p>Emoji Key for those who don't know what to say in the comments!<br/>❤ = you wish you could kudos again<br/>😭 = I got you right in the feels<br/>🔥 = this was so hot/ sweet!<br/>🐰 = it’s so fluffy!<br/>😣 = the angst is killing me!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Honey, I still don't think this is necessary," Tony said as he fiddled with Steve's time/space compass. "It's really not a big deal if I go in again, and—"</p><p>"Scott told us that both Hank Pym and his former apprentice suffered brain damage from using the particles too often, and I'm not going to allow you to risk that," Steve said firmly. He swung his right arm, testing the feel of the new nanite suit. "Especially if there's no need for it."</p><p>Tony frowned, tilting his head. "Oh, you're not going to <em>allow</em> me, hmm?"</p><p>"You know I don't mean it like that," Steve said with a sigh, reaching to cup Tony's cheek. "I'm only trying to keep you safe. That's all."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, I know," Tony muttered, rather grudgingly. "But still—"</p><p>"And I'm not trying to baby you either," Steve cut in, raising an eyebrow when Tony opened his mouth to protest. "But if there is a risk, you know I'm less likely to be affected by it."</p><p>"Mmm," Tony grumbled, pursing his lips as he made one final adjustment to the compass. Then he stepped back, looking Steve up and down. "Well, I gotta say that you do make one fine-looking time-traveller, hon. Probably the finest I've ever seen."</p><p>"Only probably?" Steve asked with a wink, relieved when Tony's lips twitched into a smirk. Ever since Tony's first trip into the tunnel, when he saw a tiny baby Peter fighting for his life in the neonatal intensive care unit, his emotions had been all over the place, swinging between his manic creative mode to times where Steve had to cajole him to get out of bed in the morning.</p><p>His second and third trips into the tunnel, where he witnessed himself and Peter spending Christmas in the hospital when Peter was six years old, and later answering some very difficult questions from an adolescent Peter about why Tony allowed Obadiah Stane to bully him, hadn't helped at all.</p><p>And the fact that Tony was so insistent on continuing to go back in when he knew that his coordinates were wrong weighed heavily on Steve, as it seemed to him that Tony was deliberately trying to punish himself.</p><p>And that was something that Steve could not allow.</p><p>He didn't dare say that to Tony, though. Things were already precarious enough.</p><p>"Well, <em>Captain,"</em> Tony murmured, his brown eyes sparkling in the bright spring sun shining in through the training dome's windows. "If you must insist, then yes. You are the finest time-traveller I've ever seen. So do me a favour and be careful in there, yeah? 'Cause I'd kinda like it if you came back in one piece."</p><p>"I have no intention of doing otherwise," Steve said softly, his heart fluttering when Tony grabbed onto his forearms, rolling onto his tiptoes to press a gentle kiss to his lips. It was chaste, and over far too quickly, but it was still enough to cause heat to pool low in Steve's gut.</p><p>And give him hope that there might be more to come at some point in the future. Preferably the <em>near</em> future.</p><p>He and Tony had had periods of celibacy before. When they first began courting they had taken their physical relationship slow at Steve's request, finally spending their first night together on Christmas night. After that magical first time, it was a rare night where they weren't intimate in some form or another until the Malibu house was bombed, and Steve suffered the multiple gunshot wounds that led to a three-day stay in the hospital.</p><p>And then he was shot again during the whole Project Insight mess, which led to Bucky coming to stay at the Tower while the team worked on trying to deprogram him, a process that Steve was convinced would not have been successful without Peter's calming influence.</p><p>Then came Tony and Peter's extended hospital stays after the battle against Stane and Killin, and their Aminacin-enhanced army down in Miami. That horrible time when Steve feared that he might lose them both in one fell swoop.</p><p>And then again after Steve's capture by HYDRA, when he feared that his boys might actually lose <em>him.</em></p><p>But even through all of those difficult times, Steve had never once believed that Tony had lost interest in being intimate with him. Their sex life had been limited only by their circumstances.</p><p>The last several months, however, were a very different story. For even when Tony wasn't in one of his deep, incapacitating depressive moods, he still hadn't shown any interest in doing anything beyond cuddling.</p><p>And it was really starting to affect Steve.</p><p>He had done some research, as he usually did whenever he had a question about something, and had read on several popular medical websites that people struggling with grief and depression often had very little interest in sex.</p><p>Which made perfect sense. He had just hoped that once they got started with the quantum tunnel, maybe things would improve a bit.</p><p>But so far they hadn't, and Steve was at a loss as to why.</p><p>It didn't help that Sam wasn't there to reassure Steve that things would be fine again someday. For how much Tony liked to joke about Steve's "giddy optimism", for Steve, ever since he'd met Sam it had been him that Steve had turned to whenever he needed to hear some encouraging words. Sam had understood what it was like to be a soldier, and the various struggles that soldiers faced when trying to adapt to the civilian world, and Steve had been missing his blunt but always truthful ways of seeing things terribly lately.</p><p>And not that they had discussed Sam and Bucky's sex life in great detail, but Sam had also mentioned to Steve a few times during their runs that sometimes when Bucky was going through a rough patch mentally, he just wasn't interested. And that even with all of his knowledge and training, Sam still had to remind himself not to take it personally.</p><p>Which Steve was also trying to do, even though it was harder than hell. His serum-enhanced libido aside, Steve desired Tony as much now—even more so, actually—as he did when they first met, and the thought that maybe Tony didn't desire him back anymore… well…</p><p>It was <em>painful.</em></p><p>"You're all set, soldier," Tony said with a wink. "I'll see ya soon. Oh, and remember: no punching anything. Or diving out of any high-rise windows. Or any windows, for that matter. Or jumping out of any planes without a—"</p><p>"Tony, I got it," Steve replied. He tapped his compass, holding his breath as his nanite helmet closed over his head. "I'm ready."</p><p>Tony had warned Steve about how weird it felt to get yanked into the tunnel, so he was able to brace himself as Tony flipped his various switches and knobs and counted down from three. But he still wasn't quite prepared for how harsh the tug actually was, like a parachute opening directly behind the small of his back. As soon as he was inside the tunnel the warp trails appeared, exactly like he was flying on one of <em>Star Trek's </em>spaceships.</p><p><em>If only Peter could see this, </em>Steve thought as he came to an abrupt stop a second or so later, sucking in a deep breath as he took in the scene in front of him.</p><p>It was Brooklyn, the street where he had grown up. And according to the newspapers being peddled a few metres away, the year was… 1924.</p><p>Which meant that—</p><p>"Ma?" Steve whispered, gasping as none other than Sarah Rogers herself stepped out onto the street along with a small, young boy. The boy was dressed in a blue button-down shirt that was patched at both elbows and a pair of trousers that were both too large in the waist and too short in the legs, held up by a pair of dark brown suspenders.</p><p>"<em>Come now, a leanbh, take my hand. The shop's only open for another half hour,"</em> she said in her strong Irish lilt, smiling as she held out her hand for the boy. She was just as beautiful as Steve remembered, dressed in her favourite blue dress and matching hat, clothes that Steve's papa had purchased for her right before he was shipped off to war.</p><p>"<em>Do you really think they'll have some more drawing notebooks in stock today, Ma?" </em>the little boy—<em>Little Steve!—</em>asked. "<em>My paper's almost all used up already!"</em></p><p>"<em>Well, let's hope so, hmm?"</em> Ma said fondly as she patted Little Steve's hand. "<em>And don't forget that your pencil is almost worn down as well."</em></p><p>Little Steve shook his head, nearly dislodging his too-large newsboy cap. "<em>I won't."</em></p><p>"Oh!" Steve murmured as he watched his little boy self and his beloved ma walk into the five and dime about two blocks from their home, the memories hitting him like a blast to the chest. The month was June, and Steve had just completed the first grade with straight A's on his report card and a commendation from his teacher on Steve's polite demeanour and attention during class. To celebrate, and at the suggestion of the teacher, Ma had offered to take him to the store for some new art supplies, as his hand-me-downs from Bucky's ma were starting to run low.</p><p>He and Ma had been in that store before a bunch of times, as Ma did most of her usual shopping there. But that was the first time that Steve would be shopping for something so… <em>indulgent</em>, and he was very, <em>very </em>excited about it.</p><p>"<em>Here we are, a leanbh," </em>Ma said as they stepped through the doors to the sound of a tinkling bell. Taking hold of one of the wire baskets stacked just inside, she jerked her head towards the back of the store. "<em>The sketch papers and pencils are that way. Be mindful not to knock anything over, aye?"</em></p><p>"<em>Okay," </em>replied Little Steve, before skipping his way down the main aisle, veering to the left right before he reached the back wall. His eyes went wide as he caught sight of the sketchbooks, his small hand tentatively reaching to touch them.</p><p>"<em>Wow," </em>Little Steve whispered as his fingertips made contact with the crisp white paper, so much nicer than the rejected newsprint and old package wrapping he'd been using. A knot rose in Steve's throat as he watched his little boy self pick up one of the sketchbooks like it was made of glass, turning it carefully over in his hands before clutching it possessively to his chest. Next, he picked up a box of five pencils, one red, one black, and the remaining three in varying shades of grey.</p><p>And they even came with a small, one-sided blade for sharpening.</p><p>"<em>Okay," </em>Little Steve murmured as he checked the bright red handwritten price stickers in the upper right-hand corners. The sketchbook was five cents and the pencils were ten, which meant that he could buy—</p><p>"Two sketchbooks, and one set of pencils," Steve whispered, smiling as Little Steve came to the same conclusion less than a second later.</p><p>Which meant he had just enough left over to get an ice cream cone for the walk home.</p><p>"It was strawberry," he said, blinking back tears as the store's owner—<em>Mr O'Carl—</em>carefully wrapped his purchases in brown paper, tying the package with a piece of twine while his teenage son scooped out Little Steve's ice cream, giving him an extra half a scoop when Little Steve thanked him.</p><p>"<em>Yer boy's sure a polite one, Mrs Rogers," </em>said Mr O'Carl as he patted Little Steve on the top of his head. "<em>Not like those darn hooligans who come tearing through here from time to time."</em></p><p>"<em>Oh aye, he is a wee gentleman," </em>agreed Ma, placing her hand proudly on Little Steve's shoulder. "<em>Makin' sure his papa would be proud of him."</em></p><p>"<em>Oh, aye, ye know yer papa's up there smiling down at ye right now, don't ye, young lad?" </em>asked Mr O'Carl.</p><p>"Yes, sir," Steve and Little Steve both said simultaneously. "<em>But… what's a hooligan?"</em></p><p>"<em>Eh… essentially the opposite of a gentleman," </em>answered Mr O'Carl. "<em>Lads who tear through here like their pants are on fire, knocking things into the aisles and then stuffing their pockets with the gum sticks and peppermints on their way out. That kind of thing."</em></p><p>Little Steve frowned, swiping his sleeve at the drop of ice cream dripping down his nose. "<em>That's not very nice."</em></p><p>"<em>No, no, it's not," </em>agreed Mr O'Carl. "<em>But nothin' to worry your wee head about it, hmm?" </em>He patted Little Steve's package, giving him a wink. "<em>Now, I 'spext to see some masterpieces coming from ye in the next few days, hmm?"</em></p><p>"<em>Oh, yes sir!" </em>exclaimed Little Steve. "<em>I'll draw you a picture of your store!"</em></p><p>"<em>Now, there's a good lad," </em>Mr O'Carl said as he finished wrapping up Ma's purchases. "<em>Now, ye do me a favour and look out for yer ma on the walk back, hmm? The sun's gettin' mighty low out there."</em></p><p>"<em>Yes, sir," </em>Little Steve said again, barely managing to catch a drop of his ice cream before it hit the polished floor. "<em>I will, sir."</em></p><p>"<em>Aye, I know ye will. Till the next time, Mrs Rogers, young Steven," </em>Mr O'Carl said as they exited the store, with Ma carrying her brown paper sack filled to the brim with what food and other supplies they could afford for the next week.</p><p>And that was assuming that Steve didn't get sick again, which was never a given.</p><p>Arriving back inside their tiny walkup, Steve watched as Little Steve helped Ma unpack the groceries before retreating to his bed to open his own package, once again running his palm across the crisp sketchbook cover like it was something to be treasured.</p><p><em>Because it was, </em>Steve thought, blinking back tears. Even though it was still the early twenties and the Great Depression had not yet hit, his and Ma's finances were precarious, forcing Ma to carefully budget each week to ensure they didn't slip into the red. So for her to sacrifice an entire quarter's worth of food or medicine to allow Steve to buy something that one might consider rather frivolous was absolutely nothing to sneeze at.</p><p>Of course, Steve didn't know that at the time. Sarah Rogers had been a very proud Irish woman, and as such, did not like to broadcast just how precarious their finances were, and especially not to him. Steve knew that they didn't have as much money as Bucky's family since Bucky's papa was still alive and able to work, but if he'd have known then that his new sketchbooks and pencils had cost his ma three days worth of dinners for herself, he would not have been nearly as enthralled with them as he was.</p><p>"But that's what a good parent does," Steve whispered, sniffing as a tear rolled down his cheek. "A good parent puts their child's needs and wants above their own."</p><p>Within reason, of course. But Steve could not recall a single time where he and Tony hadn't dropped everything the very second that Peter needed them.</p><p>And now, they were preparing to do so again. It wasn't exactly hyperbole to say that they were literally planning to move heaven and Earth to get Peter and the others back, putting themselves and the rest of their team in who-knows-how grave of a danger to undo the most horrible loss they ever could have imagined.</p><p>And while Steve didn't exactly subscribe to the same Catholic teachings that his ma had held so dear during her lifetime, somehow he knew that both she and his papa would be smiling down at him while he led his team—his <em>family</em>—into the most important battle of their lives.</p><p>He would make them both proud.</p><p>"Whatever it takes," he whispered as he felt the sharp tug behind his navel again, reappearing inside the training dome less than a heartbeat later. As soon as he shut down the tunnel, Tony rushed over from the command area, his face etched in concern as Steve's helmet retracted.</p><p>"Hon? You okay?"</p><p>"Yeah," Steve murmured, swiping at his eyes as he glanced back at the tunnel, shaking his head at how something so incredibly technological could be locked inside such a simple ugly brown van. "That was—that was—"</p><p>"Weird?" Tony softly offered. "Heart-wrenching? Inspiring?"</p><p>Steve let out a slight smile. "All of the above?" he replied, his jaw twitching as a thought suddenly occurred to him. He reached for Tony's waist, relieved when Tony didn't flinch or otherwise pull away as he pressed their foreheads together. "Did you know?"</p><p>"Ahh, yeah," Tony murmured after a short pause. "Or at least, I made an educated guess based on some of the stories you've told me." He leaned back, his brown eyes a mixture of love, concern, and admiration. "Did it work?"</p><p>"Yeah, it worked," whispered Steve. "I can understand why you keep insisting on going in now."</p><p>"Well, nothing like reliving your own past while trying to inspire your future, yeah?" Tony said, tilting his head. "But—"</p><p>"I still don't want you doing too much more," Steve cut in. "What Scott told us—"</p><p>"What Scott told us is that two already pretty fucked-up guys got even more fucked-up," Tony stated. "But… I do get what you're saying. Based on the trips we've already taken, I'm pretty sure we'll be able to nail down the exact spot in the next few or so."</p><p>"Which I'll be taking," Steve said in his Captain's voice, his shoulders dropping when Tony frowned. "Please, mo grá, don't argue with me on this."</p><p>
  <em>I just can't watch your guilt consume you anymore.</em>
</p><p>"Mmm, all right," Tony finally said. "I'll set up another trip for tomorrow."</p><p>"Thank you," Steve whispered. He pressed a kiss to Tony's forehead, his heart fluttering when Tony grabbed onto his face to guide his lips to his. Once again, the kiss was chaste, but it was still enough to ignite the heat in the pit of Steve's stomach. And give him hope that there might be more to come sooner rather than later.</p><p>"Are ya hungry?" Tony asked once they broke apart. "Pretty sure Clint was planning on heating up some frozen pizzas for lunch."</p><p>"Yes," Steve said. He tapped his compass, allowing his nanite quantum suit to flow back inside, and offered Tony his arm, which he eagerly took.</p><p>"Shall we?"</p><p>"We shall," Tony answered, just like he always had before. Before the Chitauri, before Stane and Killian, and the horrible aftermath.</p><p>Before HYDRA. Before Thanos.</p><p>Back when all they'd had to worry about were deciphering Peter's emerging enhancements, and the occasional tabloid cover.</p><p><em>We'll get there again, </em>Steve thought as they stepped out onto the bright and sunny yard, such a stark contrast to his roiling emotional state.</p><p>'<em>Cause I don't know what I'll do if we don't.</em></p>
<hr/><p>Steve ended up taking three more trips over the course of the next eight days as Tony continued to fine-tune the coordinates. It was slow, difficult work, continuously trying both of their patience levels as it was much like searching for a needle in an infinitely-large haystack.</p><p>And while they at least had a magnet in the compass devices, it was one that required very precise tuning in order to locate the exact time and place where their timeline diverged with one that was victorious. Not exactly as simple as just flipping a switch.</p><p>The first trip had had Steve reliving the day Director Fury and Agent Coulson presented him with the mission to rescue Tony and Peter in Afghanistan. Steve had been only a few days out of the ice then, and still so confused and sad about nearly everything that was happening that he'd been unable to sleep, scared that he would somehow wake up and find himself back in the ice. Tony had felt awful after that one, telling Steve multiple times that he had intended to capture the time where Steve discovered them in the middle of the desert when he'd saved Peter's life, but his calculations had been just slightly off. Steve had brushed him off, telling Tony it wasn't his fault, but it had been more difficult to let go of than Steve had wanted to let on, making his already-touchy mood even more so.</p><p>The second trip was much better, finding Steve watching as he, Tony, and Peter frolicked on the beach during their spring break trip to Italy, about a month before he was arrested by HYDRA. Despite what had happened afterwards, that trip ranked up there amongst Steve's very favourite times with his husband and son, as even though the rest of the team had accompanied them, Steve and Tony were able to spend so much quality time together that it had felt like they were on a second honeymoon.</p><p>In fact, he had already suggested to Tony that once everything was back to normal—or at least, the Avengers' version of normal—that they should take a well-deserved break and return to that same Italian coast, this time just the three of them.</p><p>Steve's third trip, while definitely not as pleasant as the second, was probably the most important of them all, giving Steve a much-needed boost of both morale and confidence that this ridiculous, cockamamie plan of theirs was actually going to work.</p><p>It had started out awful, even more so than his trip to the scene before Afghanistan. He was in the HYDRA prison, the invisible bunker hidden on the remote Georgia island, under the influence of so many mind-altering drugs and in so much pain from his shattered foot that he could barely stand, much less attempt to fight against what he now knew had been a vision-induced evil version of his own husband.</p><p>In all of Steve's life, <em>that </em>day, <em>that </em>hour, when he'd felt as though he had truly been abandoned by those he loved most, had been the point of rock-bottom. The point where not even he could dare to find even the slightest whisper of hope.</p><p>When he felt like he could no longer do "it" all day.</p><p>When the bullies had finally won.</p><p>A point he had experienced again after the snap, on the day he feared he had not only lost his son, but also his husband. The day that he punched his shield.</p><p>But as Steve had watched the scene unfold in front of him, his stomach in knots and his foot aching in sympathy, knowing that that was the point when he'd felt that all hope had been lost, that his beloved husband truly believed that he'd turned HYDRA and that he would never see his son again, as if in a dream, Peter had suddenly appeared, attempting to rescue him.</p><p>Tears had flowed freely down Steve's cheeks as he'd watched his sweet, brave son pick him up off the freezing concrete floor, whispering comforting words as he slung his papa's arm around his shoulders and attempted to carry him out of the bunker, only to fall victim to the same mind-scrambling visions a few steps later.</p><p>That moment had been one of the lowest of Steve's life, but it had also forced him to dig down into the deepest recesses of himself, searching for strength that he wasn't exactly sure he would find.</p><p>Except, he <em>did</em>. And when the dust had finally settled from the fierce battle that had followed, and his heroic son had once again freed him from his prison, Peter's very first words to him were, "Papa, it's me! Everything's gonna be okay now!"</p><p>And it <em>was</em>. Because they were all together again.</p><p>
  <em>We're always better together. Always.</em>
</p><p>Steve didn't ask if Tony had known the specifics of that trip once he returned, but he had a strong suspicion that he did. For how much Tony—and Steve as well—liked to speak of Peter's uncanny perceptiveness, Steve was convinced that it was just one of the many, many traits that he shared with his father, even if Tony never liked to admit it.</p><p>They took a three day break after that trip at Tony's suggestion, allowing Steve some time to rest and recoup—and punch a few punching bags into oblivion, with Tony's permission—while Tony tinkered around some more with the compass, using the data they had already collected to try and further narrow their area of focus.</p><p>And now it was time to test it once more.</p><p>"I'm ready, Tony," Steve said as his helmet closed over his head. "Start it up."</p><p>"Copy that, hon." Toggling the final switch into place, Tony shot Steve one of his signature smirks. "Going quantum in three… two… one…"</p><p>By now, Steve was used to the hard tug behind his belly that preceded him entering the tunnel, used to the brilliant colours of the warp trails as he flew within them.</p><p>Used to the abrupt halt as he arrived at the predetermined coordinates, and the brief breathlessness that followed.</p><p>But while he had expected to land at yet another defining event from their past, one that would hopefully give him and Tony some more clues as to where they needed to go next, he had definitely <em>not </em>expected to find himself watching as he and the rest of the team fought in the Battle of Wakanda, the very battle that had ended with Thanos snapping his fingers.</p><p>Only this Battle of Wakanda wasn't quite the same.</p><p>"Oh!" Steve gasped as he the familiar sound of Tony's repulsors filled his ears. He instinctively ducked as he watched Tony fly over his counterpart's head flanked by James and Sam, all three of them firing at the relentless advance of Thanos' war dogs, while to Alt-Steve's left, Hulk let out a ground-shaking roar as he thundered across the plain alongside an absolutely gigantic Scott Lang, both of them swinging and stomping their limbs as war dogs flung in every direction.</p><p>"Oh, God!" Steve exclaimed as his wide-eyed gaze shifted to where Gamora and Nebula were working in tandem to bring the huge, Rancor-like alien down, with Nebula triumphantly burying his pickaxe into his skull less than three seconds later. Barely pausing to blink, Steve scanned the rest of the battlefield, quickly locating Wanda and Bucky as they battled alongside Clint, Natasha, and Pietro. A few metres away were King T'Challa and General Okoye, calling out orders to their warriors as they seamlessly fought back-to-back.</p><p>"Okay, but where's—?" Steve started, cut off when the sky suddenly lit up in a brilliant burst of lightning, followed directly by the appearance of a massive axe that raced across the plain at waist-height, taking out every single war dog in its path.</p><p>Thor had arrived, along with his new friends, the raccoon called Rocket and the walking, talking tree.</p><p>"<em>Well, it's about damn time!" </em>Tony shouted as he came to a stop in midair. "<em>What is it with you and being fashionably late?"</em></p><p>"<em>Bring me Thanos!"</em> Thor shouted as he began running across the plain engulfed in blinding-white lightning bolts, his words filling Steve with the very same awe that he'd felt on that day, when he'd believed that now that Thor had arrived, the Avengers' victory was assured.</p><p>From what Steve could see, Thanos had not yet arrived in this Wakanda, just as Thor's arrival had preceded Thanos in their own universe.</p><p>Which likely meant that the Soul Stone was still hidden deep underneath the Wakandan plain. And without all six of the stones, then…</p><p>"So, is this actually it, then?" Steve asked, his heart quickening as he watched Alt-Steve and his team rally behind Thor, invigorated by his arrival.</p><p>"<em>Ah, Captain, allow me to introduce my new friend here," </em>Thor said as he landed a few metres away from Alt-Steve, indicating the tree. "<em>This is Tree."</em></p><p>"<em>I am Groot!"</em> the tree stated, while impaling no less than three of the war dogs with its right-handed branch.</p><p>"<em>I am Steve Rogers," </em>replied Alt-Steve, pressing his palm to his chest, a move that Steve unconsciously imitated.</p><p>"I am Steve Rogers," he whispered.</p><p>
  <em>I am Steven Grant Rogers. Husband, father, leader of the Avengers. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I am Captain America.</em>
</p><p>Was this finally it? Was this the actual universe they had been searching for? The one where everyone, their entire team, was there, together on the battlefield, preparing for Thanos to arrive? Despite all of his efforts to the contrary, Steve's focus during the Battle of Wakanda had been horribly split, as his worry for Tony and Peter's safety had been nearly crippling.</p><p>But in this universe, Tony was there. Fighting alongside him.</p><p>
  <em>We're always better together!</em>
</p><p>And it wasn't just Tony, everyone else was there too. Gamora, Nebula, Scott, Sam, Bucky, Wanda, King T'Challa. The tree.</p><p>All the people who had been snapped—or presumed snapped—were there.</p><p>Except for Peter.</p><p>"But that can mean a lot of things," Steve said quickly, his mind racing with all of the various possibilities. Peter's absence could simply mean that instead of leaving the schoolbus transporting him to his museum field trip that morning, he had stayed put when the alien's ship had arrived, knowing that his dads wouldn't want him placing himself in unnecessary danger.</p><p>Or, maybe he had left the bus, joined in the fight, and been beamed up to the ship, but then Tony had safely returned him to the Tower and the watchful eyes of George Stacy, allowing Tony to fly to Wakanda along with the rest of the team to help protect the Soul Stone.</p><p>There really was no way for Steve to know, and since he wasn't able to make in-tunnel adjustments to his compass, there was no way he could attempt to go back a bit further to see exactly what had happened.</p><p>But just as that thought finished zooming across Steve's mind, he heard Sam speak up over the comm, his heart leaping at the sound of the voice he hadn't heard in almost a year.</p><p>"<em>Cap!"</em> Sam called as he swooped down from the sky, directly in front of Steve's parallel-universe counterpart. "<em>Cap, on your left!"</em></p><p>"What?" both Steves said simultaneously, just as a glowing, sparking circle suddenly appeared, hovering right there in the middle of the battlefield. The very same kind that Dr Strange had used to locate Steve and Sam in Central Park back before the whole mess began.</p><p>"<em>Sam?"</em> Alt-Steve said, planting his feet as he raised his shield in the circle's direction. "<em>You got a visual?"</em></p><p>"<em>There's nothing yet, but—" </em>Sam started, as barely a second later none other than Dr Strange himself stepped through the circle, dressed in the same wizard's robes he'd been wearing when Thanos' alien accomplice had taken him aboard his ship.</p><p>The only thing missing was the medallion he'd been wearing around his neck, the medallion he had revealed had contained the Time Stone.</p><p>Slamming his gaping jaw closed, Steve's mind immediately flew into its rapid-planning mode that he had perfected during the war, cataloguing data and formulating theories as he attempted to come up with all of the possible explanations for where Dr Strange had just transported himself from, and, more importantly, why he was no longer in possession of the Time Stone.</p><p>"<em>Sam?" </em>Alt-Steve said again, full of just as much disbelief as Steve. "<em>Do you think—do you think this means that—?"</em></p><p>"<em>Aahh, Cap?" </em>Natasha said from several metres away. "<em>Cap, it looks like we have incoming!"</em></p><p>"<em>You call that incoming?" </em>Clint added. "<em>I'd call it an invasion!"</em></p><p>"<em>Tony!" </em>Alt-Steve gasped, his eyes nearly bulging as dozens of the golden circles began to appear, showering the battlefield with sparks. "<em>Sweetheart, do you think that this means—?"</em></p><p>But before he could even finish his sentence, people began pouring out of the circles and onto the plain, lining up behind Alt-Steve as if they were awaiting his orders. Wizards, Asgardians, a greyish, heavily-tattooed alien who looked like he'd just stepped out of a ring at the WWE—<em>is that Drax?</em> Another alien with long brown hair, huge eyes, and a pair of antennae on the top of her head—<em>that must be Mantis.</em></p><p>"<em>Peter!" </em>Gamora suddenly shrieked, causing both Steve and Alt-Steve to jump so high they nearly hit the stratosphere. Because it wasn't Peter who had just stepped through the circle. Or at least, not his—<em>their</em>—son, Peter. It was Peter Quill, Gamora's lover, touching down on the plain just in time to catch her as she leapt into his arms.</p><p>"But—but—" Steve sputtered, his heart slamming against his ribcage as he came to the realisation that Gamora had to have been anticipating seeing Peter Quill emerge from the circle, which could only mean that this universe had experienced the snap, just like theirs did. And that many of the people still emerging from the portals onto the battlefield had been victims of it.</p><p>And if that was the case, then all Steve had to do was wait. Hopefully just a few more seconds.</p><p>"<em>Honey?" </em>Tony yelped as he touched down next to Alt-Steve, obviously getting frantic. "<em>Honey, where is he? He's supposed to be here, why isn't he here?"</em></p><p>Alt-Steve shook his head, his fingers pressed tightly to his ear. "<em>I don't—I don't know, Tony. This was supposed to be it—I don't know why—"</em></p><p>He was cut off as a shiny grey rope suddenly appeared through the portal, one so familiar and beautiful that both Alt-Steve and Tony jumped back, their hands automatically clasping together as the entire battle seemed to pause, as if it was drawing in a deep breath.</p><p>And then, as Alt-Steve, Tony, their entire team, and Steve all watched, their boy, their sweet, beloved Peter Stark-Rogers, swung out of the portal in a grand flip, landing on the ground with the grace of a master ballerino. As soon as he stood up his mask retracted, his beautiful brown eyes wide with awe as he took in the scene in front of him.</p><p>"<em>Dad, Papa," </em>he said with a relieved smile, his precious voice sending electric shivers down Steve's spine. "<em>I'm okay."</em></p><p>"Little guy!" Steve rasped, his throat so tight he could barely breathe as he watched that universe's Steve and Tony rush towards their son, embracing him like they hadn't seen him for an entire year.</p><p>Which, Steve knew, was because they <em>hadn't.</em></p><p>Because <em>this, </em>this universe he was observing, was the one they had been searching for all this time. The parallel universe that demonstrated that it was possible to bring the snapped people back, simply by going back to the correct point before they were snapped.</p><p>There simply was no other explanation. No other way Steve could explain the appearance of the portals, or the anticipation this universe's Steve and Tony had felt while waiting for Peter to arrive.</p><p>Alt-Steve and his Tony had <em>known </em>that their Peter was supposed to arrive through those portals. They had been <em>expecting </em>him.</p><p>Which meant that all Steve and his teammates needed to do was use the tunnel to transport themselves back to that point during the Battle of Wakanda, and wait.</p><p>"No, no no!" Steve exclaimed as he felt the all-too-familiar tug behind his naval, indicating he was about to be yanked out of the tunnel. "No, please! Not yet!"</p><p>He wasn't ready. He wanted to watch as Thanos arrived, wanted to see the look on his hideous face as he realised he would be facing an army much larger than he'd anticipated.</p><p>Wanted to watch as their newly-reunited family worked together to defeat the most nefarious villain the Avengers had ever encountered.</p><p>"<em>We've missed you so much, buddy," </em>Steve heard Tony say just before he reappeared inside the training dome. For a moment, he felt frozen, his arms aching to hold his son and unable to comprehend why Peter wasn't here, when he had literally just seen him, alive and well.</p><p>"Steve?" Tony said, laced with concern as he hurried over to him. Quickly tapping Steve's compass, Tony reached for his face before Steve's helmet had fully retracted. "Honey, what is it? You look like you've seen a ghost!"</p><p>"I have!" Steve blurted out, shivering as a cold sweat broke out across his body. "I-I mean, I saw—I saw—<em>Tony, </em>I saw <em>him!"</em></p><p>Tony's cheeks instantly drained of colour, his lower lip shaking. "You saw… <em>him?"</em> he asked, so softly he was barely audible, even for Steve. "You—you saw our—our—?"</p><p>"Yes," Steve said, unable to keep the smile from forming. "I saw him, sweetheart. I saw Peter, and he was—he was—"</p><p>"Was he okay?" demanded Tony. "Steve, was he hurt? Was he—?"</p><p>"No, sweetheart, he was fine! He was perfect!" Steve answered, his eyes glassy as he studied his husband's face. "He—he came through one of the portals, the kind that Dr Strange used, and—and then he saw us, I mean, the other us, and he said—"</p><p>"What'd he say?" Tony cut in. "Steve, what—?"</p><p>"He said, 'Dad, Papa, I'm okay," Steve finished, gasping as Tony tipped forward, nearly crumpling against him. He curled his arms around his husband, burying his face in Tony's hair as Tony's hands slid up his back to cup his shoulders, his entire body trembling.</p><p>"This was it, sweetheart," Steve murmured as he rubbed soothing circles on Tony's back. "This was the universe we've been looking for. It was almost identical to ours, they had gone through the snap just like we had. And Peter was there! He was right there, right in front of me! This has to be how we win, Tony, it just has to!"</p><p>"All right, hon," Tony said, muffled against Steve's chest. "Then we should tell the team, yeah? I mean—"</p><p>"As soon as possible," Steve agreed. He pulled back, resting his forehead against Tony's. "We're ready, mo grá. We've been training for this for weeks, and we're ready. We can do this."</p><p>Tony's lips twitched as his eyes bored into Steve's, as if searching for any possibility that he might be less than absolutely sure.</p><p>"All right, honey," he finally said. "Then let's do it."</p>
<hr/><p>As Steve had hoped, it didn't take much convincing on his part to get the rest of the team on board with his plan. It was both flattering and humbling to see the acceptance in the eyes of his teammates as Steve spoke, their unconditional trust that this was actually going to work.</p><p>"Well, I sure as hell never thought I'd be looking forward to fighting against Thanos' army again," Clint said as Steve wrapped up his speech. "But if that's what it takes, then—"</p><p>"We will do it, Captain," Pietro finished, earning himself a <em>that's my boy</em> shoulder bump from Clint. "If it will bring Wanda and the others back, we must do it."</p><p>"And it did," Steve assured him. "I saw her with my own eyes. Wanda, Sam, Bucky, the Guardians, Dr Strange, and Peter. They were all there."</p><p>"And the Asgardians, you said, Captain?" Thor spoke up from his seat next to Bruce. "You said my people were there as well?"</p><p>"That's right," answered Steve. "Your associate, Valkyrie, was leading them. She was riding a Pegasus."</p><p>Thor grimaced. "Ah yes, that wretched animal. Loves to leave her treats, as Valkyrie calls them, right on the front steps of my home in New Asgard, but… there is no one I would trust more to lead our army. I only ask… while you were observing in the tunnel, you did not happen to see Loki there amongst the warriors, did you?"</p><p>"No, I'm afraid not," Steve said gently. He glanced over at Tony, who simply shrugged. "I'm wondering if it's because he was killed before the snap?"</p><p>"That'd be my guess too, Steve," added Bruce. "Which means that anyone who was killed in the battle before we go back probably won't be able to come back either. Only the people who were snapped."</p><p>"Yes, I see," Thor murmured. "Well, then it would appear that Loki's bag of tricks has truly run out."</p><p>"Yeah," said Bruce. "I'm really sorry, Thor."</p><p>"But you said you saw Groot, right?" asked the raccoon, Rocket. "He was there?"</p><p>"He was," Steve replied. "And as far as I know, he didn't even realise that he'd been snapped. None of the people who were in Wakanda seemed to notice that anything was different."</p><p>"Then how'd the rest of 'em know to come there through them portal thingies?" Rocket asked, turning to Nebula. "'Cause I thought you guys were stuck up there on Titan?"</p><p>"We were," answered Nebula. "But the Captain said that both Gamora and I were present in Wakanda with the others. Along with Mr Iron Man and the Ant-Man."</p><p>"That's 'cause we're all gonna be landing in Wakanda together," said Tony. "Those of us who made it off Titan after the snap won't be starting out there again. That'll be part of what's different this go-round."</p><p>"The differences that will lead to our victory," said Gamora.</p><p>"That's right," agreed Tony. "As for Strange, he saw over fourteen million possible outcomes while we were on Titan, so I'm guessing that once he reappears up there, he'll already know that he needs to get himself and Pete and the rest down to Wakanda ASAP."</p><p>"Okay, so that's all fine and dandy," said Rocket. "But what happens if someone dies after everyone shows up? Does that mean they're really dead this time? Like, no take-backs?"</p><p>"Yeah, it would," Bruce said sadly. "Once the snapped people return, they'll be just as vulnerable as anyone else, so…"</p><p>A sort of uneasy silence fell over the team as Steve and Tony exchanged loaded glances. From what Steve had seen in the parallel universe, Peter had had every intention of fighting with them in the battle, and he couldn't imagine that their own son would be any different.</p><p>And it's not like they could just put the battle on pause while they got him to safety either.</p><p>They would just have to trust him, trust that they had equipped and trained their son as best as they possibly could, and allow him to fight.</p><p>"I'll stick close to him, hon," Tony murmured. "He—he'll be okay."</p><p>"We can all help keep an eye on Peter, Steve," said Natasha. "But you know he won't need it. He can hold his own just as well as any of us."</p><p>"That's for sure," agreed James. "I know you didn't see him much down in Georgia, but he was damn good during that fight. He'll be the least of our worries."</p><p>"I'll second that," said Clint. "Pretty sure our main concern is gonna be keeping Thanos away from the Soul Stone, not any of our teammates."</p><p>"Keeping Thanos away from that stone should be our only concern," said Steve.</p><p>"And if by some chance he manages to get it anyway?" Rocket asked. "What then?"</p><p>"Then I will be sure to go for the head," Thor said firmly. "And I assure you, Rabbit, I will not miss."</p><p>"Thanos will have no shortage of people gunning for him," Gamora added. "We will not allow him to leave that battlefield alive."</p><p>"No, we will not," said Nebula. "And that is something I am willing to die for."</p><p>"Well, we're not gonna let that happen," Natasha stated. "We're doing this to bring people back, not to lose anyone else."</p><p>Steve swallowed a sigh. This was a conundrum that had kept him awake far too many nights since they'd started the quantum trips.</p><p>What if once they went back, they then lost someone else during the ensuing battle?</p><p>For himself and Tony, there was no question. They both would do whatever it took to bring their son back, including sacrificing themselves if it came to it. But to ask their teammates, their family to do the same, it was…</p><p>Well, Steve supposed it was about the same as asking his Howling Commandos to risk their lives to liberate yet another tiny Austrian village from the clutches of HYDRA.</p><p>No matter the mission, the risk that someone wouldn't survive it was always there. Bucky's fall from the train had hammered that lesson home quite well.</p><p>But while Steve was somewhat used to that mentality, he knew that the others weren't.</p><p>"You know, this job… we try to save as many people as we can," Steve quietly began. "Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody, but… that doesn't mean that we should give up, and hide our heads in the sand. When we go back, when we all step into that tunnel and transport ourselves back to that battle, we'll be saving billions of people from a fate that they didn't deserve, but we'll also be placing ourselves directly in the line of fire. We're used to it, because we're the Avengers. We're supposed to fight the battles that other people can't. That's what we signed on to do, so we owe it to the people of this world, and all the other worlds in the universe, to see it through. Whatever it takes."</p><p>"Damn right, babe," Tony said, smiling proudly. "So let's go kick this fucker's ass."</p><p>"Language," Steve said automatically, chuckling when everyone except the three Guardians groaned and rolled their eyes. "All right, all right. Is it dinner time yet?"</p><p>"God, I hope so!" said Clint. "I'm starving!"</p><p>"You're always starving," Natasha retorted, elbowing him in the side. "And to answer your question, yes. Pietro and I have got ya covered. JARVIS?"</p><p>"Yes, Agent Romanoff. The beef stroganoff you have prepared has reached its optimum temperature," answered JARVIS. "I have therefore adjusted the stovetop temperature."</p><p>"Great. Thanks, JARVIS."</p><p>"You are most welcome."</p><p>"Sounds great," said Steve. "So then I guess the only question left is, when should we go?"</p><p>Silence fell across the table, punctuated only by the sound of shifting chairs and tapping fingertips.</p><p>Finally, James spoke up. "Well, there's no time like the present, right? So unless you think we need more training, which we don't, by the way, then I say we go tomorrow."</p><p>"I'm fine with that," Scott said with a shrug.</p><p>"As am I," said Nebula.</p><p>"Me too," said Natasha. "I'm only wondering if we should try to get in touch with Carol first?"</p><p>"Actually, that's not a bad idea," said James. "She'd definitely be nice to have around during that fight."</p><p>"No, it's not a bad idea," answered Steve. "But I don't think we need to wait for her. I didn't see anything that indicated she was there in the parallel universe, so I don't believe she'll be a factor in the battle."</p><p>"For all we know, she's already fighting some other battle on some other planet," said Tony. He dragged his gaze over to Bruce, raising an eyebrow. "Think you can get the other guy to show up, like Steve saw? Seems like him and the giant bug man were working pretty well together."</p><p>"Bug man?" Scott asked, frowning. "I'm Ant-Man, and ants are not the same as just your average bug. In fact—"</p><p>"Scott, it's okay," Steve said, squeezing Tony's knee under the table. "Tony gives nicknames to all our teammates."</p><p>"Which tend to vary based on the quality of the pop culture references you can recite during a battle," added Tony. He pushed himself back from the table and got to his feet, placing his hand on Steve's shoulder. "So, tomorrow, then? Say… after breakfast?"</p><p>A chorus of assents rose up from the table as everyone got to their feet, filing out of the conference room towards the kitchen. As soon as Thor had exited the room, Steve drew Tony into a hug, squeezing him as tightly as he dared.</p><p>"We're really gonna do this?" he asked. "We're really gonna bring him home?"</p><p>"Sure seems that way, babe," Tony murmured. "I almost can't believe it.</p><p>"Me either," Steve said. He pressed a kiss to the top of Tony's head before releasing him and holding out his arm. "Shall we?"</p><p>Tony grinned, one so beautiful and carefree that Steve could almost forget that they had just finalised a plan to save the universe.</p><p>"Yeah, babe," he said. "We shall."</p>
<hr/><p>While they had literally just finalised a plan to save the universe, if Steve hadn't known any better, he would've thought that the team was celebrating something for how lively they were over dinner. Cracking jokes, trading stories about favourite movies and books and sports teams, and then dragging each other over said favourites, it seemed like the team, although incomplete, had finally found its rhythm again. That they had finally gelled back together as a family, rather than just a group of superheroes who happened to work well together.</p><p>Having a goal, even one so lofty as the un-snapping of billions of people, was good for them.</p><p>And it really could not have come at a better time. For as much as Steve's confidence had been padded by his teammates' optimism, he knew that what they would be facing as soon as they entered that quantum tunnel would be the most difficult challenge they had ever faced.</p><p>The best part, though, was how it had seemed to have affected Tony. The difference in his mood from even just a week ago was so remarkable that James, Natasha, and Bruce had all separately mentioned something about it to Steve, all three of them very relieved that he was so completely on board with everything they were attempting to do.</p><p>And while Steve knew he couldn't take credit for any of it, he was still very grateful nonetheless.</p><p>After playing a few rounds of Yahtzee with Bruce, Clint, and Pietro in the living room after dinner, he and Tony called it a night and retreated to their suite. Steve had no qualms that he'd be able to sleep that night. He never slept well on the night before a mission, but he had some hope that he and Tony would at least be able to rest a bit. After washing up and brushing his teeth, he climbed into the bed and turned out the overhead lights, idly flipping through his bedside sketchbook while he waited for Tony to finish up in the bathroom.</p><p>What Steve wasn't prepared for was for Tony to emerge from the bathroom shirtless, something he hadn't done since before the Battle of Wakanda. Nor was he prepared for him to slide underneath the covers and immediately crawl into Steve's lap, pressing his lips to Steve's before he even knew what was happening. Steve whimpered as Tony licked into his mouth, his hands curling around Tony's slender waist as Tony's fingertips glided down Steve's front to slip underneath his thin tank top.</p><p>"<em>Tony," </em>Steve gasped as Tony broke away from his mouth to trail kisses down his cheek to his jaw, sucking gently on the super-sensitive spot just below his jawline. "Sweetheart, we don't—we don't—"</p><p>"Hush," Tony said, brushing his fingertips across Steve's lips as he worked the tank top over his head. Steve shuddered as Tony's calloused palms slid all across his neck and chest, as if he was trying to re-familiarise himself with Steve's body. Desire pooled deep in Steve's gut, sending bursts of flame across his nerve endings with every single touch of Tony's skin against his, and he couldn't help but let out a loud moan as Tony's thumbs scraped across his nipples, earning a rather cheeky smirk from his husband.</p><p>"You like that, don't you, baby?" Tony whispered as he did it again, waggling his eyebrows when Steve let out another moan. "Yeah, I know you do."</p><p>"Tony, wait," Steve said as he caught Tony's hands, sucking in a deep, shuddering breath as he shimmied so he was sitting more upright. His mind was a haze of want, and he was so hard, harder than he'd been in a very long time, and could feel that Tony was as well, but…</p><p>"What is it, honey?" Tony asked, his confused expression nearly tearing Steve's heart in two. "Is something wrong?"</p><p>"No!" Steve exclaimed, a bit too loudly when Tony flinched. "No," he repeated, a bit gentler this time. "I'm just… are you sure about this? I mean, it's been so long, and I—" He broke off, dropping his gaze to where his dog tags hung from their chain around Tony's neck, framing the mass of scars on his chest where the arc reactor once was.</p><p>Even through all of their grief and suffering over the last year, through all of their anguish and pain, and even though they hadn't made love in almost a <em>year,</em> not once had Tony removed those dog tags from around his neck.</p><p>Not one single time.</p><p>"I just need to make sure that you're sure," Steve finally said.</p><p>Tony quirked an eyebrow as he brushed Steve's bangs from his forehead, his beautiful face so radiant in the soft bluish light of their bedroom that tears pricked Steve's eyes.</p><p>"Of course I'm sure," Tony softly answered. He ground his hips down against Steve's, the friction of their hard cocks sliding together almost enough to make Steve climax right then and there. "I love you, honey. And I'm sorry—"</p><p>"No!" Steve yelped, stopping Tony's words with a hard kiss. "No, please sweetheart, don't apologise. There's no need for it. I love you too. I love you so damn much, and I'm just—"</p><p>He was cut off by Tony's lips, his tongue slipping into Steve's mouth as Steve's hands splayed across Tony's ass, groaning in appreciation as he dug his fingers into the round, firm flesh.</p><p>"Then tell me what you want, mo grá," Steve said as Tony attacked his neck again, kissing his way down to his collarbones. "How can I please you?"</p><p>"Nuh uh. Tonight it's my turn," Tony murmured as his lips closed over Steve's left nipple, gently teasing it with his teeth. Steve groaned, biting down on his lower lip as Tony kissed his way across his chest to his right nipple, nipping and teasing it with his teeth and tongue. Then he lifted his head, his brown eyes shining as he slid his left hand down Steve's abdomen, skirting his fingertips along the waistband of his sleep pants.</p><p>"Tony!" Steve choked out as Tony's fingers finally slipped underneath the soft fabric and curled around his aching cock. "Please, teastaíonn níos mó uaim!"</p><p>"Shh, baby, it's okay. I've got you," Tony murmured as he stroked him almost agonisingly slow. He crawled back up Steve's body, pressing their mouths together in a deep kiss. "I'm gonna suck you off now, yeah?" he whispered against Steve's lips. "That sound okay?"</p><p>"God, <em>yes!"</em> Steve rasped, gasping as a burst of pleasure shot down his spine like a rocket. "Please, mo grá, I need your gorgeous mouth on me! Teastaíonn uaim tú a thabhairt dom teacht!"</p><p>"Mmm," Tony said as he dragged his tongue down Steve's sternum, dipping it into his navel as he worked his pants down his legs. Steve tried to keep his eyes open, tried to watch as Tony pressed feather-light kisses all along the length of his cock, but he just couldn't. It had been too long, and Tony's warm, wet mouth just felt too damn good as it closed over his length that Steve's head fell back against the headboard, his hands fisting hard into the sheets as Tony practically swallowed him down.</p><p>"Oh my <em>God!" </em>he said, the words so garbled they were unintelligible as Tony bobbed up and down, licking and sucking just the way he knew Steve loved, his free hand sliding under Steve's ass to tease at his crack. It had only been a few seconds, but he was already so close he knew he couldn't hold on any longer. "<em>Tony,</em> I can't—you just feel so good. I'm gonna—!"</p><p>And then Tony hummed around him as he squeezed Steve's ass, and Steve cried out as his climax overtook him, whiting out his vision and sending electric shocks coursing throughout his body.</p><p>Steve wasn't sure how long he was floating in his sea of sensation, his limbs deliciously weightless as Tony pressed a few final kisses to the inside of his thighs before crawling back up his body, trailing the pad of his thumb softly across Steve's cheekbone.</p><p>"You are so fucking sexy when you come, baby," he murmured once Steve peeled open his eyes. "God, I've missed you!"</p><p>"Oh God, Tony, I've missed you so much!" Steve practically sobbed. "I've missed you so much, I can't—I can't—!"</p><p>"Shh, honey," Tony whispered, his brown eyes filling with the guilt and self-loathing that made Steve's heart lurch. "I'm sorry. I just—"</p><p>"No," Steve said firmly as he shifted Tony onto his lap, cursing the fact that he was still wearing pants. He brushed his lips across Tony's in a soft kiss, gliding his palms up and down the soft, olive skin of his back and sides. "No apologies, okay? We're here now, and that's all that matters."</p><p>Tony gave a short nod, his eyes turning mischievous as he reached his hand between them, cupping Steve's already resurging erection. He leaned forward, pressing kisses along the shell of Steve's ear as he whispered, "You ready for more now, baby? 'Cause I wanna ride you."</p><p>Heat burst across Steve's body at Tony's proclamation, so strongly that for a moment he feared that he'd actually burst into flame, right there in their bed.</p><p>"Please!" he finally breathed. "Please, mo grá, I <em>want!"</em></p><p>"Mmm," Tony moaned against Steve's skin as he reached into Steve's bedside table, searching for the bottle of lube that hadn't seen the light of day for months and handing it to Steve. Steve's hands were shaking as he flipped open the cap, pouring a generous amount on his first two fingers while Tony shucked out of his pants, throwing his head back with a guttural groan as Steve slowly pressed his slick fingers inside him.</p><p>"Fuck, baby, you feel so good," Tony said on a moan, his eyes rolling back as Steve slowly withdrew his fingers, adding a bit more lube before pressing them back inside. Normally he would take more time, starting with one finger and working up to two, but somehow he knew that on this night, Tony wouldn't tolerate him going that slow.</p><p>Which was good, since Steve honestly wasn't sure <em>he </em>could tolerate going that slow either. After a year spent making love only to his fist, Steve wasn't about to waste anymore time.</p><p>Before they embarked on the most dangerous mission of his entire life, Steve wanted to make love to his husband.</p><p>"I'm ready, honey," Tony insisted as Steve added a third finger, delighting in the shiver that raced down Tony's spine as he curled his fingers just right. "Fuck, Steve, I mean it!"</p><p>"All right," Steve said, patting Tony's side as he pulled out his fingers, cupping his face to bring their lips together in a wet, sloppy kiss.</p><p>"I love you," he murmured, hissing as Tony took Steve's cock in his hands, slicking it up with the lube before lining it up. As soon as he felt himself breach Tony's body, Steve dropped his head back, moaning wantonly up to the ceiling as he gripped Tony's hips. Tony felt <em>so</em> incredible, even better than Steve had remembered, and it took nearly all of his willpower to keep himself from thrusting sharply up as Tony slowly sank down around him.</p><p>"Steve… <em>baby,</em>" Tony whimpered, his blunt fingernails digging into Steve's shoulders as he started to move, starting with just gentle rocks of his hips. "<em>Shit, </em>honey, you feel so fucking good!"</p><p>"Tony, Tony, Tony!" Steve whispered as Tony's movements slowly grew faster, unable to form any other words. Because there were no words, no way to describe how unbelievable Tony's body felt wrapped around him, closing around him like he wanted to keep him inside and never let go.</p><p>And Tony had never looked more beautiful, with his lidded eyes, slack jaw and mussed hair, and Steve was desperate to tell him. To tell him over and over how much he loved him, and how worried he had been for all those months, when he had feared that he might've lost him forever.</p><p>But since he couldn't, he simply tensed his abs and sat up, his arms curling around Tony's body as he buried his face in Tony's shoulder, gasping as Tony shifted on the bed so his knees were pressing into the mattress, trapping his cock between them.</p><p>"Honey," Tony whimpered, his teeth caught around his lush bottom lip. He was already close. "I'm—I need—I need—"</p><p>"S'okay, sweetheart, I've got you," Steve said as he slipped his hand between their bodies, curling his fingers around Tony's leaking cock. "Come for me, Tony!"</p><p>"Steve!" Tony cried as Steve stroked him, gripping his hip with his other hand as Tony's movements began to falter. "Honey, I'm—!"</p><p>Tony cut off as he came, spilling over Steve's hand as he thrust up into Tony's body once, twice, three times before his climax slammed into him like a freight train, and he cried out his release into Tony's shoulder as Tony collapsed against him. With the last vestiges of his strength, Steve carefully eased them back against his pillows, tucking Tony's head under his chin.</p><p>Sometime later, once he'd regained some feeling in his limbs, Steve brushed the sweat-dampened hair from Tony's forehead and planted a kiss there, sighing in his semi-contentment.</p><p>Tomorrow they would try and save the world, so now all Steve wanted was to savour the moment. Savour his gorgeous husband lying naked in his arms as the sweat cooled on their bodies and their heart rates ticked back to normal.</p><p>The proverbial calm before the storm.</p><p>"Tomorrow we're gonna bring our boy back, yeah?" Tony softly asked a few moments later.</p><p>"We sure are, sweetheart," Steve stated, as emphatically as he was able. "Whatever it takes."</p><p>"Mmm," Tony agreed, burrowing further into Steve's side. "Whatever it takes."</p>
<hr/><p>The mood was subdued the next morning, the team speaking in soft whispers as they ate breakfast before suiting up and strapping the compass devices to their wrists. Stepping into the training dome, the team formed a circle as Tony completed a final check of JARVIS's interface with the tunnel controls. He had also linked JARVIS's program to the compass devices, which would hopefully allow the UI to pull someone out of the tunnel if their device somehow became damaged en route to the battle.</p><p>Once they arrived in Wakanda, though, they would be on their own, as the devices would not be connected to the JARVIS of the past.</p><p>Which meant that no matter what the outcome of the battle, the team would be stuck there, in their new present.</p><p>"All right, babe, we're all set," Tony said as he joined the circle, shooting Steve an encouraging wink. "Whenever you're ready."</p><p>"Copy that," Steve murmured. He drew in a deep breath as he glanced around the circle, at his teammates who he had come to love as though they were his own brothers and sisters. Natasha, Clint, Bruce, Thor, and James, who had been there from the very beginning, Pietro, who had become the son Clint had never thought he'd have, and Scott, Gamora, Nebula, and Rocket, who were all there because they believed in the Avengers, believed that their team could actually return things back to normal.</p><p><em>Because we can, </em>Steve thought. <em>And we will.</em></p><p>But first, he had to make sure they all knew how much he appreciated them, how important they were to him, and how proud he was of them.</p><p>"One year ago, we lost," he began. "We lost friends, we lost family. We lost a part of ourselves." Steve paused, his eyes flicking to Tony, who gave him a nod. "Today we have a chance to take it all back. Today we have a chance to take back the worst loss the Avengers, the world, and the universe has ever suffered. We're ready. We're trained, and we know the mission. Most of us are going somewhere that's familiar, but that doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives, and we're gonna win. Whatever it takes."</p><p>"Damn right, honey," Tony stated. "Let's go kick his ass."</p><p>"Here here!" called Rocket from his spot next to Thor. "Lemme at 'em! Oh, and good speech, by the way. Very inspiring."</p><p>"No kidding, right?" exclaimed Scott. "Wow, Captain, you're really good at that!"</p><p>"Well, he wouldn't be our Captain if he couldn't give a halfway decent pep talk, right?" Tony said, giving Steve's hand a quick squeeze. "All right, J, you ready?"</p><p>"I am indeed, sir," answered JARVIS as the quantum tunnel powered up. "Awaiting your signal."</p><p>"Copy that," Steve said. He tapped his compass, his heart fluttering as his quantum helmet closed over his head. Then he picked up his shield, gripping it tightly as the rest of the team followed suit.</p><p>"Prepare the tunnel, JARVIS," he said, breathing in deeply through his nose as he waited for the all-too-familiar tug behind his navel. <em>We're gonna see him. In only a few more minutes, we're gonna see Peter again.</em></p><p>It was almost too good to be true.</p><p>"The tunnel is now sufficiently powered, Captain," said JARVIS.</p><p>"Copy that." Steve made one final glance around the circle of his teammates, ending with Tony, whose face was broadcasting exactly what Steve was feeling.</p><p>Anticipation. Trepidation.</p><p>And most of all, determination.</p><p>
  <em>We are going to win.</em>
</p><p>"All right, Avengers," he said in his Captain's voice. "Going quantum in three… two… one… mark!"</p><p>And less than a heartbeat later they were on their way, racing towards the past to try and repair their future.</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em> <strong>Stop by and see me on tumblr, I’m <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geekymoviemom">geekymoviemom</a> and <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/geeky-writes">geeky-writes</a> there! 😊 </strong> </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The next chapter will post by Wednesday, January 27th 😊 </p><p>As always, I can’t wait to hear what you think!  Got any theories about what’s going to happen next?  I’d love to hear them! 😊 </p><p>And please don’t forget to hit the kudos button! 💗</p><p>Emoji Key for those who don't know what to say in the comments!<br/>❤ = you wish you could kudos again<br/>😭 = I got you right in the feels<br/>🔥 = this was so hot/ sweet!<br/>🐰 = it’s so fluffy!<br/>😣 = the angst is killing me!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A huge thank-you to my wonderful betas allthesinnersandthesaints and jehbeeeh! 💗 💗</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Peter was still shaking in his father's arms, his eyes squeezed tightly closed as he tried to force the fact that he was just nearly strangled to death out of his mind.</p><p>Not exactly an easy task, especially since thanks to the above-mentioned strangling, Thanos was now in possession of the Time Stone.</p><p>
  <em>I'm sorry, Dad. I'm so sorry!</em>
</p><p>"It's all right, buddy, I've got you," Dad murmured into his hair, as if he'd heard him. "It's gonna be okay. We'll figure something out."</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter rasped, shuddering at the horrible sound of his voice. Thanks to Thanos' chokehold, his throat now felt like it had been rubbed with sandpaper, making him sound like he'd suddenly developed a three-pack-per-day smoking habit.</p><p>And the dry, dust-filled air on Titan was only making it worse.</p><p>Ducking his head under Dad's chin, Peter breathed slowly in, trying to let the sound of Dad's heartbeat, barely audible through his armour, work its usual calming magic on him.</p><p>Even though he had absolutely no idea <em>how </em>anything was going to be okay, much less whatever "it" Dad was referring to.</p><p>"It's okay, buddy," Dad said again. "I've got you."</p><p>Nodding, Peter pressed his ear harder against Dad's armour, trying to focus only on the constant <em>thud thud thud </em>of his heartbeat. He wanted so badly to say something, <em>anything,</em> that might possibly help. Say he was sorry for not staying on the stupid bus, sorry for not going home when Dad tried to send him. Sorry for thinking he could actually be an Avenger when he was still "just a kid".</p><p>Sorry for forcing Dad to have to beg for his life to be spared twice in the span of about twenty minutes, which had to be some kind of a record, as hero gigs go.</p><p>But now wasn't the time. Peter had literally just been nearly strangled to death, and by the most powerful creature in the entire universe, even, according to Uncle Bruce, which meant that the gauge on Dad's freakout-o-metre was still all the way over in the <em>Holy Fucking Shit!</em> range.</p><p>Not really the best time to be discussing anything.</p><p><em>Good thing Gwen's heading to Oxford soon</em>, Peter thought, trying to swallow against his raw, scratchy throat. '<em>Cause it'll be a miracle if Dad and Papa let me out of my room again before Christmas.</em></p><p>Then again, he supposed the threat of being grounded was the least of his worries at the moment. With the addition of the Time Stone, Thanos only needed one more stone to complete his gauntlet. The Soul Stone, which was in Wakanda.</p><p>And if Thanos was on his way to Wakanda, that meant that Papa and the rest of the team would be forced to face him without Dad and Peter since they were now pretty much stranded on the sorry excuse for a planet, surrounded by a bunch of self-proclaimed—but definitely not plucky—weirdos.</p><p>It still didn't make any sense, though. Dr Strange had been so emphatic back on the ship that he would rather allow Peter or Dad to die than give up the Time Stone to Thanos that he and Dad had almost come to blows, so for him to change his mind so suddenly in the heat of the moment only 'cause Dad happened to beg him to was just plain weird.</p><p>A sentiment that Dad seemed to share, given that he was glaring missiles in Dr Strange's direction, who seemed to be completely oblivious to Dad's current state of freakout.</p><p>"Goddamnit, Strange, I'm telling you that we need to get going now!" Dad said again, his fingers stroking through Peter's hair. Thanks to the battle—and being strangled—Peter's senses were going completely bonkers, making even Dad's normal conversational voice seem like he was screaming into a bullhorn.</p><p>Which meant that his pissed-off, I'm-Iron Man-so-don't-fuck-with-me voice was more like he was screaming into about a dozen bullhorns, scraping along Peter's already frazzled nerves like Papa's favourite cheese grater.</p><p>"Strange, are you even listening to me?" Dad continued, pressing even harder on Peter's scalp when he flinched. "You know Thanos is heading to Earth, he's probably already there! And Steve and the rest of the team need our help!"</p><p>"Dad," Peter croaked. "Dad, don't you think—?"</p><p>"Not now, Pete. You just try to relax—" Dad started.</p><p>"But Dr Strange already said he won't do it!" Peter cut in. "So you're really just wasting your breath by arguing with him!"</p><p>"I'll be the one who decides what's a waste of time!" snapped Dad. He pressed a quick kiss to the top of Peter's head. "If Strange won't help us, then we need to get the ship up and running, and we need to do it like, right the hell <em>now.</em> Quill! You got any tools on that ship of yours?"</p><p>"Huh?" replied Quill, looking up from where he and Gamora were huddled together a few metres away. "What'd you say, Mr Man?"</p><p>Peter felt Dad sigh, and he made another attempt to speak, to remind Quill for at least the third time that Dad's name was in fact Mr Stark, not Mr Man. But after Dad muttered a rapid series of curses under his breath and yet another swallow attempt was thwarted by his dry, raw throat, Peter decided against it.</p><p>"I <em>said… </em>that we need to fix your ship, Quill," Dad said slowly, like he was scolding a very small child. "We need to get off this goddamn rock and back to Earth. Now."</p><p>"There are some tools aboard," said Gamora, jerking her head towards Dr Strange, who had assumed the goofy <em>om </em>position he had been in while he was messing around with the Time Stone. "But I really don't think that—"</p><p>"Oh, you don't hmm?" Dad retorted. "Well, then it's a good thing I'm not asking you to think."</p><p>"She does not believe it will do any good," Drax spoke up. "Now that Thanos has the Time Stone, it does not matter how long it takes us to repair the ship. We are doomed either way."</p><p><em>Oh, dude, </em>Peter thought, cringing. <em>That was not the right thing to say—</em></p><p>"Oh, yeah? Well, pardon me if I don't give a damn what you think!" retorted Dad. "And we wouldn't even need the goddamn ship if Professor Snape here would just teleport us there instead!" Freeing his right arm, Dad picked up a small rock and tossed it in Dr Strange's direction, glowering as it hit some sort of personal deflection shield and bounced harmlessly away.</p><p>"It does not seem like he wants to do that," said Mantis. "Maybe because he knows we will lose if we—"</p><p>"What the fuck is wrong with you goddamn people?" Dad screamed, sending Peter scrambling to curl into a ball, his hands clamped so tightly over his ears he was afraid he was going to push them into his skull.</p><p>"Daddy, <em>please!"</em> Peter whimpered, hating how small he sounded. "Please, don't yell! I can't—I just can't take it!"</p><p>"Oh Christ, Pete, I'm so sorry," Dad whispered as he drew Peter back into his arms, his armoured fingers massaging the back of Peter's neck. "Buddy, I'm sorry. I'm just so worried about Papa, and—"</p><p>Peter sniffed, rubbing his nose against Dad's chest. "Me too," he said. "And I wanna get home too. But we're not gonna get anywhere if we just keep yelling back and forth."</p><p>"The boy is correct," the blue android—<em>Nebula</em> suddenly said. "We should get to Earth and join in the fight. They will need our help."</p><p>"But that would go against the wizard's prediction, and I'm not sure we should do that," said Mantis, sounding absolutely horrified. "He made it very clear that there were only two ways we could possibly win, and—"</p><p>"Yeah," Quill cut in. "And what if us going to Earth is what causes us to lose?"</p><p>Dad's nostrils flared as he huffed out a sharp breath. "Well, since he doesn't see fit to actually tell us how we win, we've got no goddamn way of knowing that, right? But anything's gotta be better than just sitting here on our asses! My husband—!"</p><p>"Don't you think that if the wizard's aware of how we win and he's still refusing to leave, that we should maybe do the same?" asked Gamora. "He said he saw over fourteen million possible outcomes, and only two of those were victorious!"</p><p>"Those odds are not good," added Drax, causing Peter to roll his eyes.</p><p>
  <em>Yeah. No shit, dude.</em>
</p><p>"Oh, you think?" Dad yelped. "Even more reason to get the hell off this rock! The Avengers need our help!" With a grunt, Dad pushed himself up to his feet, bringing Peter with him. "Buddy, I know you're pretty fried at the moment, but let's see what we can do with this ship, yeah? Papa needs us."</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter whispered, grateful when he didn't sway on his feet as Dad released him. His throat was still burning and it was getting harder and harder to keep his vision from slipping into its honeycomb-like state, but if it meant getting off of Titan in one piece, he would do whatever it took.</p><p>"Um… what—what're you doing?" Quill protested as Peter and Dad headed towards the ship, Dad's hand protectively on Peter's shoulder. "Now hold on just a minute! I didn't say you could use my ship!"</p><p>"Nope, you sure didn't!" Dad shot back. "'Cause I didn't ask!"</p><p>"Wait!" Mantis suddenly said, so alarmed that both Peter and Dad froze in their tracks. Turning in her direction, Peter's heart skipped when he noticed her already freakishly-large eyes widening.</p><p>"Something—something's happening!"</p><p>"What?" Dad demanded. "What the hell are you talking about? Nothing's hap—"</p><p>But before he could even finish his sentence, Dad disappeared with a soft popping noise, so abruptly that Peter stumbled forward, barely able to keep himself from tipping over.</p><p>"Dad?" Peter said as he frantically scanned the barren, dusty rock where his father had stood literally seconds before. He let out a hard shiver as the all-too-familiar ice bolt raced down his spine, telling him that something was very, very wrong.</p><p>"Dad? Where are you? Dad? Are you still there? Where'd you go?"</p><p>"Gamora?" Peter suddenly heard from behind him, startling him so badly that he nearly jumped out of his skin. He whirled around to find Quill patting the ground where Gamora had just been sitting, obviously just as frantic as he felt. "Gamora? Where the hell did you go? Where the hell's the ship?"</p><p>"They have disappeared!" cried Mantis as she pointed a shaking finger towards the pile of debris where Nebula had been sitting, the imprints from her boots still visible in the thick red dust. "All three of them have disappeared!"</p><p>"It's like they've been erased!" said Drax. "Erased from existence!"</p><p>"Oh, just shut the hell up, Drax, okay?" yelled Quill. "You can't just erase people from existence! That stuff only happens in <em>Back to the Future, </em>and I'm pretty sure it doesn't work on spaceships!"</p><p>"Daddy!" Peter cried, tears stinging his eyes as the word tore through his raw throat like scissors through tissue paper. His Spider Sense was still going haywire, his heart was thudding madly, and his legs were shaking so badly that his knees were practically knocking together. "Daddy! Where are you?"</p><p>
  <em>Don't leave me! Don't leave me here alone!</em>
</p><p>"They are all gone," Mantis said sadly, shaking her head as her antennae curled downwards. "This must mean that Thanos has won."</p><p>"What? No! That can't be possible!" Peter exclaimed. Even the thought that the Avengers could actually lose was horrifying.</p><p>
  <em>No, that can't be it!</em>
</p><p>Because the Avengers… well… They were the <em>Avengers.</em> Which meant that they didn't lose. Not against the Chitauri, not against Obie and that mad hatter Aldrich Killian.</p><p>Not even against HYDRA, the toughest challenge the Avengers had ever faced.</p><p>Before Thanos, at least, but still. The Avengers just… didn't lose. They might get knocked down, as that old, goofy song went, but they always got right back up again.</p><p>Didn't they?</p><p>The tears he'd been trying to hold back finally spilled down Peter's cheeks as he looked over to where Dr Strange was sitting. The wizard's head was tipped back, with his eyes closed and his left foot tapping on the ground as though he were listening to music or something, seemingly oblivious to the fact that three people had just up and vanished right in front of him.</p><p>Including his <em>father</em>, which, Peter quickly decided, he was <em>not </em>about to accept without some kind of an explanation.</p><p>Swiping the back of his hand across his cheeks, Peter sucked in a deep breath and forced himself to take a step towards the wizard, hoping his exhausted, confused mind would be able to function well enough to actually have a conversation.</p><p>"Um," he started, breaking off when even that tiny word seemed to get stuck. He painfully cleared his throat, straightening his shoulders.</p><p>"Um… excuse me, Doctor, but do you have any idea why my dad and the others just up and disappeared? 'Cause it seems a bit weird, actually more like <em>freaky, </em>that one second my dad was talking to you and the next second he's gone, like he was never even here, which is, like I said, really kinda freaky, so…" Peter trailed off, his eyebrows knitting into a frown when he got absolutely no response, not even the slightest twitch that would indicate Dr Strange had even heard him. Gritting his teeth, Peter took another step closer, snapping his fingers. "Hey! Can you even hear me? I'm trying to talk to you! My dad just disappeared, and Gamora and Nebula too, so if you know anything about why, now would be a great time to let us know—"</p><p>Peter jumped back with a gasp as Dr Strange's eyes suddenly flew open and he shot to his feet, frowning as he glanced over at Peter, then at Mantis, Drax, and Quill, standing a few metres away.</p><p>"It is time," he said, sounding almost freakishly like Rafiki from the Lion King.</p><p>"Uhh, it's time? Time for what?" Peter asked, confused. "What happened to my dad, is he dead? Did Thanos snap his fingers?"</p><p>"No," replied Dr Strange as he shook dust from his long maroon cloak. "Well, yes, actually, he did. But now it doesn't matter anymore."</p><p><em>Uhh… </em>Peter gave his head a hard shake. "Um, <em>what?</em> I'm sorry, but I don't get what you mean? Where's my dad? Is he dead? Did Thanos kill him?"</p><p>Dr Strange shot him an annoyed look. "No, your father isn't dead."</p><p>"But how can you be sure?" demanded Peter, dangerously close to squeaking. "If Thanos snapped his fingers but my dad's not dead, then where'd he go?"</p><p>"And what about Gamora, and Nebula?" asked Mantis. "Are they dead?"</p><p>Dr Strange pursed his lips, glaring at Mantis. "For the last time, they are not dead! I have been dead before. Dozens of times, in fact, so I can assure you that none of the missing persons are dead! They have simply been… relocated. Now, if all of you are finally done asking all of your foolish questions, it is time for us to get going!"</p><p>"But, <em>where?"</em> Peter cried. "Where the hell are we going? And why didn't you wanna go anywhere when my dad was still here?"</p><p>"Because it wasn't yet time," Dr Strange said, a bit gentler. "But I promise you, it is now. We must get to Wakanda."</p><p>"Wakanda?" demanded Quill. "What the hell's in Wakanda?"</p><p>"Is Thanos in Wakanda?" asked Drax.</p><p>"Yes," Dr Strange said grimly. "It is time for us to join in the battle. The Avengers need our help."</p><p>"The Avengers!" exclaimed Peter. "Will my dad be there?"</p><p>"He is already there," answered Dr Strange. "As are the others."</p><p>"Wait, so Gamora's in Wakanda? How?" Quill asked, dragging his gaze over to where his battered ship had stood. "Did she take the ship?"</p><p>"No," answered Dr Strange, bobbing his head from side to side. "Well, yes, actually. But like I said, it really doesn't matter now."</p><p>Peter grunted, giving his head another hard shake. And he used to think that Uncle Thor liked to talk in riddles.</p><p>"But… the ship was all busted up. Quill even said so," he said to Dr Strange. "And since you didn't use any of your sparkly circle thingies, then how—?"</p><p>
  <em>How in the hell—?</em>
</p><p>Dr Strange sighed as he raised his scarred, slightly trembling hands, his left hand embossed with a large, golden two-fingered ring. "I'm very sorry, young man, but I don't really have time to explain it any further at the moment. Now, are you ready?"</p><p>"Ready? Ready for what?" asked Quill.</p><p>"Ready for the most intense, most difficult battle of your lives?" said Dr Strange. "Because make no mistake, this battle we are about to enter will be just that. I have seen firsthand what can happen when certain powerful beings ignore the dangers that come with meddling with different dimensions. Or universes."</p><p>"Okay, okay, just hold on a sec… did you say different <em>universes?" </em>Peter asked. "But <em>how</em> is that—?" The rest of his question died on his lips as Dr Strange began swinging his arm in a circle, forming the portal that would take them to Earth. As soon as it was wide enough, he stepped through, landing on what Peter recognised as the huge field out beyond King T'Challa's palace. Quill frowned as he slowly approached the circle, eyeing it warily.</p><p>"Are we just s'posed to walk through it?" he asked Peter. "It's not gonna like, catch us on fire if we're not worthy or something, right?"</p><p>"No, don't think so," Peter said, shaking his head. "Both of my dads have gone through 'em before, and they're fine."</p><p>Quill shrugged, activating his helmet. "Well… 'kay. Here goes nothing." He stepped through, the sound of Gamora frantically calling his name echoing back through barely three seconds later.</p><p>"Gamora is there!" exclaimed Mantis, pointing at the portal. "Just like the wizard said!"</p><p>"And my dad!" Peter added as he heard the unmistakable sound of his father's repulsors firing, followed by several shouted orders from Papa and Hulk's thundering footsteps. "And my papa and Uncle Bruce!" He stepped back from the circle, indicating for Mantis to get in front of him. "Uh, you can go ahead of me. Ladies first."</p><p>"No, I will go first, to make sure it is safe for you," insisted Drax as he drew Mantis behind him. Then he pulled out a pair of long, slightly curved knives that had been tucked into his belt, holding them with the pointy end down. "If I am not immediately murdered, then it should be okay for you to follow."</p><p>Mantis nodded, her huge eyes wide. "I will be right behind you."</p><p>Peter's heart seized as first Drax, then Mantis stepped through the portal, his fingers curling into fists at his sides as his mind raced at the speed of light, trying like hell to <em>think.</em></p><p>Even though he could hear that Dad was out there in the battle, and hear the <em>doink </em>of Papa's shield as it slammed against their enemies, something still wasn't quite right.</p><p>"<em>It is time," </em>Dr Strange had said. And while Peter supposed he could just chalk it up to the wizard's overall weirdness—and really, was there a wizard out there who <em>wasn't </em>weird?—now that he thought about it, it was almost as though Dr Strange had been specifically waiting for the moment when Dad and the others disappeared.</p><p>Almost like he had known it was coming.</p><p>"<em>I went forward in time, to view alternate futures. To see all possible outcomes of the coming conflict," </em>Dr Strange had told them only a few minutes before Thanos showed up, and Peter was nearly strangled to death in the battle that followed. Dr Strange had said that he'd viewed fourteen million, six hundred and five possible outcomes, and that the Avengers had been victorious in only two of them.</p><p>Not exactly what Peter would call having the odds stacked in their favour.</p><p><em>That must've been why he refused to help us get back home, </em>Peter thought. Dr Strange's reason for completely ignoring Dad's pleas to get them to Wakanda had to have been because he had <em>seen </em>what was coming.</p><p>So when Peter had asked him if Thanos had snapped his fingers and Dr Strange had said yes, that must've meant that—</p><p>Meant that—</p><p>"Oh, <em>shit!</em>" Peter breathed as another shiver raced down his spine, more freezing cold than he'd ever felt before. "Does that mean I was—was I <em>really</em>—?"</p><p>
  <em>Was I… dead?</em>
</p><p>He had to have been. It was really the only explanation that made sense.</p><p>"Oh my God!" Peter squeaked, pressing his palm to his chest. "I was dead!"</p><p>Well, maybe "dead" wasn't quite the right word, but Peter honestly didn't have the mindset to try and think of a more accurate description at the moment. All he could think was that after Thanos left Titan, he must've found the Soul Stone down in Wakanda, and then snapped his fingers.</p><p>And then—</p><p>Peter had… what, disappeared? Been erased from existence, like in <em>Back to the Future?</em></p><p>And he hadn't been the only one. Mantis, Drax, Quill, and Dr Strange were all still on Titan after Dad and the others disappeared, which probably meant they had been snapped too, along with potentially billions of others.</p><p>"Oh my God," Peter whispered, rubbing his palms up and down his arms as his Spider Sense continued to go haywire. He had been <em>dead</em>, for who knew how long, and somehow—</p><p>And who else had been snapped? Dad obviously hadn't been, but had Papa? Uncle Bucky? Gwen? Ned?</p><p>He supposed it didn't matter anymore. All that mattered now was keeping it from happening again.</p><p>
  <em>That must be why Dad, Nebula, Gamora, and the ship all disappeared. After it happened, they must've fixed the ship and flown home.</em>
</p><p>And somehow, Dad and whoever was left of his family must have figured out how to reverse things, which, Peter had to admit, sounded really freaking <em>cool!</em> He'd have to ask Dad to show him what they did once the battle was over.</p><p>The hardest, most intense battle of their lives, according to Dr Strange.</p><p>"Oh my God!" Peter cried as yet another massive icy wave shot down his spine, nearly bringing him to his knees as he heard Uncle Thor's booming voice come through the portal, his tone indicating that he was out for blood.</p><p>"<em>Bring! Me! Thanos!"</em></p><p>"He's alive!" Peter exclaimed, a huge smile breaking across his face. Uncle Bruce had told Dad and Papa that Thanos had killed Uncle Thor when he attacked their ship, but if Uncle Thor was still alive, then maybe that could be how they—</p><p>"<em>Honey?"</em> Peter suddenly heard Dad say, his heart lurching at how worried he sounded. "<em>Honey, where is he? He's supposed to be here, why isn't he here?"</em></p><p>"<em>I don't know, Tony," </em>came Papa's voice, a bit more level in tone but just as worried underneath. "<em>This was supposed to be it—I don't know why—"</em></p><p>"Guys, I'm coming!" Peter croaked past his tight throat, sniffing as more tears threatened to fall. Dad wasn't just worried, he was <em>panicking.</em> Like that time Peter got lost at Disneyland when he was seven kind of panicking.</p><p>And Papa… Peter always could tell when he was trying to hide how scared he was, even though he knew that Dad and Peter could both see right through him. And he was <em>scared.</em></p><p>They weren't just hoping that he would step through that portal, they were <em>expecting </em>him.</p><p>"<em>Pete?" </em>Dad called, just like he had called for him on that day at Disneyland. "<em>Pete? Buddy, where are you?"</em></p><p>"I'm coming!" Peter said again, sucking in a deep breath as his mask closed over his face. Then he raised his right arm, palm facing the sky, and launched a web at a nearby tall pile of debris, giving it a quick tug as it latched itself on. Lifting himself off of Titan's floor, Peter quickly launched a second web through the portal, bringing him through. He flipped in the air before landing gracefully on the Wakandan plain, his mask retracting as he saw his dads standing about three metres away, clutching each other's hands like they were the only things keeping them upright.</p><p>Peter's two dads, who seemed to be so stunned by his appearance that they were frozen in place, gaping at him like they weren't sure if he was real or just a mirage.</p><p><em>Because they thought I was dead, </em>he thought, a sharp stab of guilt piercing his heart, guilt that he tried to stamp back down.</p><p>The guilt could wait. Right now, they had a battle to win.</p><p>"Dad, Papa," Peter said with a wide smile, his voice trembling ever-so-slightly as he held out his right hand. "I'm—I'm okay."</p><p>"P-Pete!" Dad sputtered as he lunged for Peter, wrapping him in his arms as Papa's long arms curled around them both, hugging them to his strong, broad chest. "Oh, Christ, Pete, you're here! You're okay! Oh God, we have <em>missed </em>you!"</p><p>"Yeah, I'm—I'm okay," Peter said, flinching as something he could only describe as a giant wearing a space suit suddenly skidded to a halt about ten metres away, connecting its massive right fist with some weird alien's chin and sending him flying into a pack of what looked like really bad-CGI versions of the wargs from Lord of the Rings. "But—but what—? What <em>happened?</em> What's going on? Is Gwen okay?"</p><p>"Gwen's fine, little guy," said Papa. "She and her family are safe at the Compound—I mean, the Tower."</p><p>"Um… what?" Peter asked, confused. "Which one is it?"</p><p>"Ah, it's kinda a long story, Pete, okay?" Dad said quickly.</p><p>"And one that's gonna have to wait for awhile," added Papa. "First we have to—"</p><p>"Beat Thanos," Peter finished, nodding against Dad's chest. He pulled back, looking directly into his papa's eyes. "Please, don't send me away. I wanna fight."</p><p>Dad and Papa exchanged glances, their eyebrows quirking and dipping in that goofy, non-verbal communication thing that they'd had perfected since even before their first date.</p><p>"Only if you promise to stick close to one of us, buddy, yeah?" Dad finally said. "No going off on your own, you got that?"</p><p>"Dad's right, little guy," Papa said in his Captain's voice. "The Avengers are a team, which means—"</p><p>"We all work together," Peter finished. "Yeah, I know. I can do that."</p><p>"All right, then," Dad said, flashing Peter his <em>that's my boy</em> smile. He clapped Peter on the shoulder, his helmet closing over his face as he turned to stand next to him, and Peter finally got his first good look at the battlefield.</p><p>Which… wasn't really what he'd expected.</p><p><em>This doesn't seem all that bad, </em>he thought as he scanned the vast plain, grinning as he watched Hulk leap from a pile of twisted debris and land right on top of at least ten of the ugly warg-like things. Behind him, sparking portals still hovered in the air as more and more people poured onto the battlefield. Many were Asgardians, based on the insignias on their medieval-like uniforms and Uncle Thor's friend Valkyrie, who was leading them, while others seemed to be wizards like Dr Strange, dressed in monk-like robes and holding their magical bright golden shields clutched in their hands as they formed a line behind them. A line that was quickly joined by about a hundred of King T'Challa's Wakandan warriors.</p><p>In fact, on second glance, it was almost funny how one-sided it looked, kinda like the entire Avengers team had assembled to take on a simple bike thief or something. The warg creatures were all pretty much done for, their ugly carcasses littering the plain while the Giant-Man and Hulk squashed out the remaining stragglers, and the aliens seemed to be in full retreat, forming a line about fifty or so metres away with Thanos at their centre, the gauntlet on his left hand and forearm shining in the bright Wakandan sun.</p><p>And then they all just… stood there. Almost like they were waiting for something to happen.</p><p>Not exactly what Peter would call intense, especially given Dr Strange's ominous warning.</p><p>"Uhh, hon?" Dad said as his helmet retracted again. "You got any idea what's going on?"</p><p>"No," answered Papa, his worry wrinkle on full display under his cowl. "And I don't like it."</p><p>"Maybe they've decided they've had enough?" suggested Uncle Bucky. "Time to turn tail?"</p><p>"Nah, I don't think so," said Papa, his frown deepening. He looked up as Uncle James and Uncle Sam touched down on Dad's opposite side, while Uncle Thor, Uncle Clint, Auntie Nat, and the twins fell in behind them.</p><p>"Young Starkson!" Uncle Thor said as he drew Peter into a bone-crushing hug, ruffling his hair. "It is so good to see you intact again!"</p><p>
  <em>Intact? What the hell?</em>
</p><p>"Uhh, you too?" Peter cringed as Dad shot Uncle Thor a downright murderous look, causing him to sputter as he pushed Peter back to his spot.</p><p>"Yes, well… we'll have to catch up some more once this is all over, hmm?" said Uncle Thor. "Perhaps over a game of chess?"</p><p>"Sure," answered Peter. "Sounds good."</p><p>
  <em>How long was I gone?</em>
</p><p>Retaking his place between his dads, Peter quickly began to fidget, wondering when the actual battle was going to happen. The team had been fighting before the portals appeared, that much was certain. But ever since they opened and everyone came through, it was like someone had pressed the Pause button or something.</p><p>Which was just plain <em>weird.</em></p><p>"So… are we s'posed to just stand here and stare at each other now?" Uncle Sam asked a few seconds later. "Like they did in the olden days?"</p><p>"I don't know, Sam," Papa snapped, his jaw tight enough to cut glass. Papa did <em>not </em>like not being able to anticipate what was going to happen in a battle. "But I don't think this is over yet."</p><p>"You didn't see anything like this when you were in the tunnel, did ya, Cap?" Uncle Clint asked.</p><p>
  <em>Tunnel? What tunnel?</em>
</p><p>"He wasn't in there this long, Clint, you know that," said Auntie Nat. "Just long enough to—"</p><p>"What tunnel?" Peter cut in. "What're you guys talking about?"</p><p>"Nevermind, милая ошибка," Auntie Nat said quickly, giving Peter a big smile. "It's not important."</p><p>"Yeah, we are <em>not </em>talking anymore about that now," Dad warned, tossing Uncle Clint his <em>shut the hell up! </em>look over his shoulder. His armoured fingers were curled around Peter's arm, gripping him like he was afraid he was going to disappear if he let go. "First we've gotta figure out what the hell this asshole's up to."</p><p>"Yes, we do," agreed Papa. "Sam, James, do a quick reconnaissance flight. Don't cross their line, just see what you can see and come right back."</p><p>"Gotcha," Uncle Sam said, nodding once at Uncle James before they both took off from the plain, peeling away in opposite directions. Looping around in a huge infinity symbol, Peter's heart skipped when they crossed in the middle almost directly above Thanos before flying back towards the Avengers' line. Then they paused, hovering in the air.</p><p>"Far as I can tell, there's nothing," Uncle Sam said. "It's like they're just waiting for us to make a move or something. I can't imagine this'll be how this ends."</p><p><em>No, it can't be, </em>Peter thought as he scanned Thanos' line up and down, noting that they didn't seem at all confused by the pause in the battle.</p><p>In fact, if he had to guess, he would've said that they were waiting for just the right moment to strike. Kinda like how Dr Strange had been waiting for the right moment to bring them to Wakanda.</p><p>"<em>The most intense, difficult battle of our lives," </em>the wizard had said, and even though he was weird and apparently enjoyed speaking in riddles, Peter couldn't imagine why he would say something like that if it wasn't true.</p><p>"<em>I have seen firsthand what can happen when certain powerful beings ignore the dangers that come with meddling with different dimensions. Or universes."</em></p><p>
  <em>Different universes?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Oh my God!</em>
</p><p>"Oh, shit!" Peter murmured under his breath, shivering as his Spider Sense activated, sending a series of icy bolts down his back.</p><p>"Pete?" Dad asked in alarm, turning to face him. "Buddy, what is it? What're you sensing?"</p><p>"Something's—!" Peter broke off, gasping as the bolts started coming so fast they were nearly continuous. His heart, already pounding from confusion and fatigue combined with adrenaline, began to thud even harder, making his head swim.</p><p>"Something's coming, and we've got—we've gotta be careful, 'cause I think something's—I think Thanos is gonna—!"</p><p>"Peter, it's okay," Papa said soothingly as he drew him to his side. "Whatever it is, we'll be ready."</p><p>"No!" Peter exclaimed, his eyes wide as he shook his head. "Papa, you don't understand! Thanos, he's gonna—!"</p><p>"Cap!" Uncle Sam suddenly cried as he swerved in the air in front of Peter, followed closely by Uncle James. Peter's breath caught in his throat, and he yanked hard on Papa's elbow as he noticed Thanos raising his left arm, the blue Space Stone and the red Reality Stone both glowing brightly as he pointed them towards the sky.</p><p>"Papa! Look!"</p><p>"What the—?" Uncle Clint said as a massive portal began to open in the cloud-dotted sky above the plain, an almost exact replica of the portal Loki had used to bring the Chitauri into New York. "Is that—?"</p><p>"What in the goddamn <em>hell?"</em> Dad grumbled, his helmet closing over his face with a <em>clang.</em> "You goddamn sick son of a bitch! That's cheating!"</p><p>"Cap!" yelled Uncle James. "Cap, we have incoming!"</p><p>"Oh God, it's the Chitauri!" Peter cried as dozens of the bumpy, scaly, whale-like creatures began pouring into the skies above them, each carrying at least thirty of the Chitauri warriors. They were accompanied by what seemed like hundreds of their chariot-like speeders, which began zig-zagging across the sky above the Avengers, almost like they were taunting them.</p><p>"I'd say that's more like <em>all</em> the Chitauri!" stated Uncle Clint. "But I thought Tony blew 'em all to hell, so where the hell'd they come from?"</p><p>"It's a wormhole to another universe!" yelped Peter, yanking so hard on Papa's elbow that he nearly pulled him down. "Papa, you've got to listen to me! Before I came through the portal, Dr Strange told us that he'd seen what could happen when powerful beings drew even more power from other dimensions or universes! So I think—!"</p><p>"Cap!" Uncle Sam called from above. "Cap, these guys are still coming, what should we do?"</p><p>"Just… keep your eyes open, Sam!" Papa called back. "We need to—"</p><p>"Holy shit, Steve!" Dad cut in. "If Pete's right, then that means Thanos might be summoning these things from another universe! Which means that—!"</p><p>"But I thought you said something like that went against the many-worlds rules?" demanded Papa.</p><p>"It does!" Dad shot back. "But you really think Thanos gives a shit about universal rules?"</p><p>"No, not exactly. But…" Papa trailed off, glancing back at King T'Challa, who was standing at the head of his warriors, flanked by General Okoye, his sister, Shuri, and another tall, broad dude who looked like his bodyguard. The king's lips twitched as he gave Papa a nod, one that Papa grimly returned.</p><p>"Стив?" Uncle Bucky said as he raised his shiny black rifle. The Chitauri speeders and scaly whales were still circling around Thanos and his aliens, finally coming to hover behind them as Thanos let out a wide, leering grin. "What do we do?"</p><p>Breathing in a deep breath, Papa pursed his lips and glanced over Peter's head at Dad, who gave him a single nod.</p><p>"We fight," Papa said firmly. "Like our universe depends on it."</p><p>"Good," stated Uncle Thor. "Let's kill him properly this time."</p><p>"Copy that." Then Papa planted his feet and drew his shoulders back, readying his shield.</p><p>"Peter?" he said, thick with concern. "You stick close, you got that? I want you to make sure you can see one of us at all times."</p><p>"Uh huh, Papa, I got it," Peter answered, grateful when his voice didn't wobble. The last thing his dads needed was to be worrying about him. "You don't need to worry about me."</p><p>"Comes with the territory, Pete," Dad said. "But let's get this over with, yeah? 'Cause I am beyond sick and tired of this asshole's ugly face."</p><p>"I'll copy that," stated Uncle Bucky. "Let's finish this!"</p><p>"All right," said Papa as an alien jumped off one of the Chitauri's speeders and landed next to Thanos, one who just happened to look exactly like the guy who had tried to take the Time Stone from Dr Strange.</p><p>"Dad—"</p><p>"Yeah, Pete, I see him," Dad grumbled. "Dude should've stayed dead."</p><p>"Yeah," Peter agreed. "But the big question is, how many of him are there?"</p><p>"Let's not get ahead of ourselves yet, little guy," said Papa. "Let's just take things as they come."</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter said softly. He knew Papa was right, that they could only concentrate on what was right in front of them. But he also knew that knowing Papa, he was already trying to plan for every possible contingency. Which meant that if Thanos had somehow managed to open a wormhole between parallel universes, the Avengers would have to somehow close it back up again or Thanos' army could literally go on forever.</p><p><em>We can do it! </em>Peter thought as he crouched down, his web shooters at the ready. <em>We're the Avengers!</em></p><p>"All right, Captain," he heard Dad say, clear and proud. "Call it."</p><p>Papa shot Dad a look, one of those looks that could convey any of about a zillion different things, depending on the circumstances. This time it was determination, appreciation, and most of all, adoration.</p><p><em>We're always better together, </em>Papa always said. And now, for better or for worse, they all were.</p><p>"Avengers?" Papa yelled, so loudly that Peter had to fight the urge to cover his ears. There was a moment's pause as the entire extended team assumed their fighting positions, holding their collective breaths while they waited for Papa to order the advance.</p><p>And finally, after Papa had looked his team up and down, made sure that they were all prepared to fight the strongest creature in at least three universes, he gave the order to attack as one, single word.</p><p>"Assemble!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I know this chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but I felt this was a good stopping place 😉  The next chapter will post by Friday, February 5th 😊 </p><p>As always, I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment!  Questions, theories, I love them all! 💗</p><p>Emoji Key for those who don't know what to say in the comments!<br/>❤ = you wish you could kudos again<br/>😭 = I got you right in the feels<br/>🔥 = this was so hot/ sweet!<br/>🐰 = it’s so fluffy!<br/>😣 = the angst is killing me!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The roar that erupted from the literally hundreds of warriors lined up behind him was deafening, the sound waves literally propelling Steve forward as his team hurtled across the Wakandan plain so smoothly it was as though it had been choreographed. The flyers: Tony, Sam, James, Quill, Valkyrie, and Peter, were in perfect Army Air Corps formation, all of them flanked by the Wakandan aircrafts, which instantly began firing their laser bolts at the flying, lizard-like whale creatures.</p><p>Next to him, Thor let out a grunt as they picked up speed, his massive axe swinging with every pump of his arms, just as Steve's heart was pounding in time with Hulk and Scott's thundering footsteps as they raced towards Thanos and his stolen army.</p><p>The army that was still growing, almost by the second.</p><p>"Pete? Buddy, you stay with me!" Tony called over the comm as Steve snuck a glance up, pride flaring in his chest as he watched Peter execute a perfect landing onto Tony's back. A wide open, fairly treeless plain didn't exactly play to Peter's strengths as Spider-Man, but Steve knew that his boy would be okay as long as he stuck close to one of their team members.</p><p>As hard as it was, Steve simply had to trust that Peter would fight just as well—or likely even better—than he did during their training sessions. He was still plenty nervous, especially since Peter was a lot like Tony out in the field, meaning that he was both constantly improvising and had a tendency to lean a bit too far towards self-sacrifice than Steve would've preferred.</p><p>Case in point, why he was even there in the first place.</p><p>Steve and Tony knew a lot of it came from the fact that Peter was so young. Even Steve had once been forced to admit that if he had possessed superpowers when he was a teenager, he would've believed he was invincible too.</p><p>So as long as Peter didn't forget that even though he was enhanced it didn't mean that he actually <em>was</em> invincible, he would hopefully be okay.</p><p>
  <em>Please, let him be okay! We just got him back!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We just got all of them back.</em>
</p><p>Landing in Wakanda, in the middle of a battle that he had technically already fought, had been one of the most disconcerting experiences of Steve's life, second only to when he awoke from the ice. The urge to rush right over to Bucky and Sam and embrace them had been nearly insurmountable, an urge he had seen mirrored in Clint and Natasha's faces when they first laid eyes on Wanda. Both Sam and Bucky had wondered aloud where Tony had suddenly come from, especially since they had been well aware of how worried Steve had been about him the last time, and Steve had also noticed Wanda doing a double-take at Natasha's hair, which was now much longer than it had been a year ago.</p><p>Other than that, they hadn't really had the time to contemplate much.</p><p>They would have to sit the whole team down and debrief them, once it was all over. They owed them that much.</p><p>Of course, Peter seemed to have connected most of the dots of what had happened—if not all of them, which presented its own dilemma. Like Tony often said, sometimes Peter was just too smart for his own good, and Steve knew that he and Tony were going to have to sit down privately with him at some point and explain everything that had happened, as difficult as it was going to be. It would be far better for Peter to hear it all directly from his dads rather than try and put a bunch of jumbled pieces together on his own.</p><p>But first, they had a battle to win. 'The most intense and difficult battle of their lives,' based on what Peter had heard from Dr Strange.</p><p>As if the original battle hadn't been just that.</p><p>Still, Steve was trying hard—at least, at the moment—to look at it as a gift. For just like when he'd survived the crash of the <em>Valkyrie</em> against all odds, Steve had been given a second chance at something that really had no business granting such a thing.</p><p>And, come hell or high water, he was <em>not </em>about to waste it. Not when the lives of his husband and son, not to mention billions of others, were depending on the outcome.</p><p>As it was, the image of those sparking golden portals opening across the battlefield would be forever etched in Steve's memory. As soon as the first one had appeared, Steve had had to forcibly hold himself back, gripping his shield with white knuckles and trying not to choke on his own heart as he watched Dr Strange and the others from Titan float through the golden circle. Steve had always struggled with being patient, as Tony could attest to, and that combined with the nearly crushing anxiety that he'd somehow gotten it all wrong had been absolutely gut-wrenching.</p><p>And then, just when he had started to think that he had actually gotten it all wrong, Peter had appeared within the portal, flipping through it before landing right in front of them, just as beautiful and whole as he had been the last time Steve had seen him.</p><p>In that moment, both Steve and Tony had abandoned all pretense of trying to pretend that everything was normal and had pounced on their sweet, precious boy, trying to pour an entire year's worth of hugs into one huge family embrace. Steve had even been so overwhelmed that for a second or three he had been seriously tempted to just take his boys and run. Away from Wakanda, away from all of the battles and armies, and the genocidal maniacs hell-bent on destroying half the universe.</p><p>Away from all the memories that haunted them, no matter how hard they wished for them to just <em>please</em> leave them the hell alone.</p><p>And, of course, all the guilt that accompanied them. Guilt he couldn't shake no matter how fast he ran or how many punching bags he destroyed.</p><p>"<em>Guilt is like salt,"</em> Sam had once told Steve during a run. "<em>Sometimes you just gotta sprinkle some on to hide all the bitterness."</em> It had been Sam's way of telling Steve that a small amount of guilt could be healthy, as it tended to motivate people to try and fix things for the better.</p><p>Because while salt could be used as a seasoning, bitterness was just that.</p><p>Bitter.</p><p>But while a bit of salt could improve the taste of something, too much would effectively ruin it. So as much as Steve had been tempted, he knew that he couldn't abandon his team now. Not when literally the entire universe was depending on them.</p><p>Which meant that he would see this battle through to its end, whatever it took. He would lead the fight against the massive alien army being summoned through an interdimensional portal from at least three different universes, because that was his job.</p><p>He was Captain America, and Captain America didn't run away from bullies. No matter how big and powerful they happened to be.</p><p>"Steady!" Steve cried over the thunderous pounding of footsteps, the adrenaline already buzzing through his bloodstream spiking when Thor let out an affirmative roar.</p><p>They were almost there. Only a few more seconds…</p><p>The sound of the two armies colliding could only be described as epic. Steve ducked down behind his shield as he drew back his right fist, landing it square in the jaw of one of the Chitauri warriors and sending him flying. Next to him, the Wakandan warrior M'Baku let out a booming war cry as he leapt from the ground, managing to catch one of the Chitauri speeders as it attempted to fly overhead, its driver crashing to the ground with a sickening <em>thunk </em>about three heartbeats later.</p><p>"We need to protect the stone!" Steve yelled as he launched his shield at another speeder, causing it to crash right into one of the flying whale-like things. "We need to keep Thanos away from the Soul Stone!"</p><p>"Copy that!" Sam said from somewhere behind Steve, his dual guns firing into a horde of Chitauri foot soldiers. "But do we even know where the hell it is?"</p><p>"Yeah, it's about—" Steve started, choking on the rest when he realised he'd almost said too much. "Yeah, it's—it's somewhere underground. King T'Challa believes it's not too far from the palace, but—"</p><p>"But we don't know its exact location?" Sam asked.</p><p>"No, we don't," Natasha said firmly, nearly drowned out by Hulk's roar as he grabbed two of the speeders from midair, slamming them together. "All we know is that it's here somewhere."</p><p>"Well, that's just great," muttered Sam. "So we just gotta cover this entire field until these things somehow run out?"</p><p>Steve huffed in frustration. He could remember the exact location of the Soul Stone like he'd seen it just yesterday, but he knew he couldn't admit it. His knowledge would no doubt lead to questions that he couldn't answer out of risk of distracting the team, and while he wasn't completely positive, he had to assume that Thanos wasn't yet aware of its location either, and the last thing he wanted was to give it away.</p><p>"But I thought that was kinda the problem, Стиви," Bucky said. "That they're not gonna run out."</p><p>"We don't know that for sure," Steve said quickly, his heart jumping as he saw Tony fly by with Peter still crouched on his back. "Just… right now we need to concentrate on taking out as many of the Chitauri as we can. We've done it before, and we can do it again."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, copy that," said Sam. "Just don't forget that our army isn't endless, unlike the enemy's. I'd definitely take a few more of that giant dude though. Where the hell'd he come from?"</p><p>Steve pursed his lips as he swung his shield at yet another Chitauri warrior, knocking him into a group of three who were aiming some kind of RPG-like thing at Scott as he ambled by.</p><p>"It's a long story, Sam, okay? And one we don't have the time to tell at the moment," he said, securing his shield on his arm as Thor swung his axe, slamming two more Chitauri warriors into yet another whale.</p><p>"Yeah, I figured as much," replied Sam as he began another of his strafing runs. "I'm gonna hold you to that."</p><p>"I know," said Steve, his heart doing a flip as he watched Peter leap from Tony's back, aiming directly for one of the Chitauri speeders.</p><p>
  <em>I know.</em>
</p><hr/><p>"Pete? You be careful!" Tony yelped as Peter launched a web towards one of the flying chariot things, yanking him clean off his back only a few seconds after the two armies, who had been rumbling towards each other like some kind of medieval video game, finally crashed together.</p><p>"Uh huh!" Peter answered as both he and the chariot slammed down to the ground, with Peter launching another web barely a second later. "You don't have to worry about me!"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, so you say," Tony muttered. He bit down on his bottom lip, contemplating. In all of his research into the effects of essentially going back to the past, he hadn't been able to answer this particular question to his liking.</p><p>"Ah… JARVIS?" he tentatively asked, cringing in anticipation. "You there?"</p><p>"At your service, sir," JARVIS answered, a bit confused but otherwise his usual perfunctory self. "Is there a reason why I would not be?"</p><p>"Ahh… no. No reason," Tony answered, relief washing over him like a wave. After being forced to fight without JARVIS's help while up on Titan, it was a huge weight off Tony's mind to have his trusty UI back again.</p><p>"Just… I'm gonna need you to do a cross link with Pete's suit, yeah? If at any time you get the sense that he's in anything remotely resembling mortal danger, you activate the Instant Kill. Got it?"</p><p>"Very good, sir," said JARVIS. "And may I presume that I am to use the definition of mortal danger that you and Captain Rogers have established, rather than Master Peter's?"</p><p>"You're damn right you may," Tony said firmly. "Actually, why don't we just say that if any of these goddamn things so much as looks at Pete funny, you take 'em out. Yeah?"</p><p>"As you wish, sir."</p><p>"Thank you, sweetheart," Tony heard Steve say quietly, punctuated by various grunts as he and Thor took turns dodging huge chunks of rock being levitated by one of the Voldemort aliens.</p><p>
  <em>Who does this guy think he is? Darth Vader?</em>
</p><p>"Don't mention it, hon," Tony said as he skidded to a stop above Steve's head. He attempted to repulse the alien away, swearing when the thing deflected the repulsor beam off to the side with a simple flick of his wrist. "Goddamnit! Where's a spaceship when you need one, hmm?"</p><p>"What was that, Stark?" Thor asked. "I didn't quite catch—?"</p><p>"Ahh… nevermind." Tony let out a grin as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, Thor, remember the last time we fought these assholes? The whole, 'doth mother know you weareth her drapes' dance we did in the forest?"</p><p>Thor paused in mid-swing, ducking to allow yet another chunk of debris to sail over his head. "If you are referring to the time when I bested you and the Captain in combat, then—"</p><p>"Okay, first off, I'm pretty sure Steve still kicked your ass, and second, that's not really important at the moment," Tony said as he touched down onto the plain. He held his hands out to his sides, the nanite case on his chest glowing bright blue. "Thor, hit me."</p><p>Without a second's hesitation, Thor grinned widely and raised his axe to the sky, summoning enough lightning to power the entire Compound for a month before channelling it directly into the nanite case. Tony stumbled as the billions of nanites that comprised his suit absorbed the intense electrical energy, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end as he struggled to stay upright.</p><p>"Power is at one thousand percent of capacity, sir," said JARVIS.</p><p>"Hmm," said Tony. "How 'bout that." Then he raised his arms, launching every single volt of it directly at Voldemort, letting out a shout of victory when the alien shattered like a dropped piece of crystal.</p><p>"Ah, thanks for the lightning show!" Rhodey called as he flew overhead, grenades launching from the back of his armour in two-second intervals. "Just… you might wanna give me a warning next time, hmm? That blast nearly knocked out my guidance system."</p><p>"Ah, sure thing, honeybear," Tony cheekily replied as he took off again, quickly locating Peter. "You know I'm always up for a good show."</p><p>"Ah, yes, shows!" Thor exclaimed as he tossed his axe towards Steve, who slammed it with his shield right into another alien, slicing it completely in half. "In fact, I seem to recall Young Starkson mentioning something about attending a show in your city, on a street called Broadway? Something about a man who wears a mask and enjoys singing?"</p><p>"Ah, that'd be Phantom of the Opera, Uncle Thor," Peter piped up from somewhere off to Tony's left. "We can go once we get home, okay? And I'm pretty sure Uncle Bucky and Uncle Sam wanna come too."</p><p>"That's affirmative," said Bucky, interspersed with rounds from his custom-made machine gun. "And Сэм said he'd treat."</p><p>"Well, if Sam's paying, then count us in too," Clint piped up. "Right, Nat?"</p><p>"Now wait just a damn minute here!" retorted Sam. "I'm pretty sure that I never said anything about paying for all of—"</p><p>The rest of Sam's reply was lost in a barrage of fire from three Wakandan aircraft as they looped back around. Swerving to avoid being hit, Tony screeched to a halt just in time to witness Scott Lang, who was roughly the height of a five story building, take out another of the ugly-as-hell flying whale creatures with a single left hook.</p><p><em>Not too bad for a no-name cat burglar,</em> Tony thought as he twisted to his left, repulsing away another flying chariot and grinning behind his faceplate at the alien's cry of shock.</p><p>
  <em>Take that, you assholes!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>No one touches my son and lives to tell about it!</em>
</p><p>Tony could still feel the imprint in his throat left behind from his heart, and the deep, visceral ache from his knotted stomach as he and Steve had clung to each other's hands, waiting for Peter to emerge from the portal. If he'd been able to think a bit more clearly in that moment—impossible, of course, but hindsight was always twenty-twenty—Tony wouldn't have been as surprised that it took Peter a few extra seconds to step through. As much as both he and Steve believed that their boy was reckless at times, which Tony supposed came with the territory of being an enhanced teenager, Peter did usually take at least <em>some</em> time to think things through. Even if it was only a second or two.</p><p>One of the many ways he resembled Steve.</p><p>And, because of that small delay, Tony now had no doubt that Peter knew something extraordinary had happened.</p><p>As to what exactly Peter believed that might be, Tony could only guess. And since he didn't really have the time to be guessing at the moment, Tony supposed that a deeper dive was going to have to wait until after they won the battle.</p><p>And there was no 'if' in there either. After all of the absolute misery he and Steve had endured in the last several months, there was no way in <em>hell </em>that Tony was going to accept any iteration of <em>if.</em></p><p>They had come way, <em>way</em> too far for if. The only outcome Tony would accept now was a complete and unequivocal victory.</p><p>Risking life and limb and God-knows-what else in messing with the laws that governed the universe was an infinitesimal price to pay for having his son back.</p><p>And now that he was back, Tony wanted to kick Thanos' ass all the way beyond the void, that empty space area out beyond the barriers between universes that up until a few weeks ago, he'd believed only existed in science-fiction movies.</p><p>It was real, though. Apparently the many-worlds interpretation had been spot on.</p><p>The very wormhole that was causing all of their current problems was proof of it.</p><p>Which only made Tony even more determined. Because if there were other versions of him and Steve out there who had also just gotten their son back, Tony felt like he owed it to them to try and help.</p><p>The pain he had endured from losing Peter, the pain that he and Steve had struggled for an entire year to contain, was something that Tony wouldn't wish on anyone.</p><p>Except for Thanos.</p><p>"Dad?" Peter said, causing Tony's belly to flip as he swung across the vast plain, his web latched onto one of the whales' front right fins. "Dad, who's that giant dude? He kinda reminds me of that Gulliver guy from that one book."</p><p>Tony rolled his eyes. <em>Gulliver's Travels</em> was a favourite book of Steve's. "Yeah, bud, I s'pose he does. That's Ant-Man."</p><p>"Ant-Man?" Peter asked, surprised. "You mean that tiny guy that Pietro caught trying to sneak into the Compound that one time? That he put inside one of Papa's snack containers?"</p><p>"Ah, yep," Tony said with a chuckle. "That's the one."</p><p>"Whoa!" Peter said in amazement. "So he can get big too?"</p><p>"Yep. Sure looks that way, buddy." The whole Giant-Man thing was pretty damn cool, Tony had to admit.</p><p>"Hey, JARVIS?"</p><p>"Yes, sir?"</p><p>"Ah, make a note to remind Pete and me to ask Lang about the whole giant-wannabe thing, will ya? Once this is all over?"</p><p>"Remind you about the giant-wannabe thing," stated JARVIS. "It has been duly noted, sir."</p><p>"Thanks."</p><p>"Yeah, if you can call twenty metres tall just 'big'," Peter said as he leapt from a huge pile of attack dog carcasses, landing about five metres behind one of the Gamorrean guard aliens. As soon as Peter's feet touched the ground, he launched two webs at the thing's head, yanking him down with one hard tug.</p><p>"Dad!" Peter called, straining as the alien struggled to get to his feet, his giant pickaxe flailing.</p><p>"Yep! I got ya, buddy!" Screeching to a halt, Tony blasted his repulsors directly into the alien's chest, grinning in satisfaction at the way his body twitched before going still.</p><p>"Oh, that was awesome!" Peter exclaimed as he shot another web at one of the flying whales. Tony's heart lurched as Peter was pulled from the ground, huffing out a sharp breath when he noticed Rhodey take up a flanking position, blasting the whale away with one of his rockets just as Peter flipped away, this time latching onto Sam Wilson's feet as he flew across.</p><p>It was a move that Tony recognised from one of their training sessions. After discovering that Rhodey and Sam worked really well together, Steve had tasked them with developing a few of their own manoeuvres to incorporate into their training.</p><p>And of course, as a self-proclaimed flyer himself, Peter had insisted on joining in.</p><p>And, of course, being unable to say no to him, both Rhodey and Sam had agreed.</p><p>"Those are some pretty impressive moves there, kiddo," said Sam, so casually that a knot rose in Tony's throat. "Who taught you all those moves?"</p><p>"Um… pretty sure it was Uncle James," Peter said cheekily as he flipped over to Rhodey, landing gracefully onto his back. "Right, Uncle James?"</p><p>"Now I know you're not putting me in the middle of all this," replied Rhodey. "'Cause you know how much I love being in the middle of things…"</p><p>"Maybe a little bit less chatter up there, guys, all right?" Steve said over the comm. Tony immediately whipped around, grunting in relief as he located Steve about ten or so metres away, fighting a group of Chitauri in a triangle formation with Bucky and Thor. The whole time they had been fighting, Tony had had to remind himself that Thanos didn't have the Soul Stone yet, and that their current main objective was to ensure that he didn't get it.</p><p>To that end, Thanos was nowhere to be seen, at least from Tony's current vantage point. Based on what Tony understood about the infinity stones, which was admittedly not nearly enough as he would've preferred, Thanos would have to keep the Space and Reality Stones active in order to maintain the wormhole. Steve had explained to Tony that during the original battle, Thanos had used the Reality Stone to alter the Wakandan plain in order to locate the Soul Stone deep within its soil. But this time, as long as the wormhole was open, the Reality Stone would remain occupied.</p><p>Meaning that Thanos and his minions were now being forced to search for the Soul Stone the old-fashioned way. By digging for it.</p><p>"So he's just using the Chitauri as his own personal shields," Tony muttered, wrinkling his nose in disgust. He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised. Thanos had essentially used Loki as his own personal errand boy during the Battle of New York, giving him the guise of commanding the Chitauri army as a way to both stoke Loki's bruised ego and ensure his compliance.</p><p>"What's that, Tony?" Steve asked. "I didn't quite copy."</p><p>"I said, Thanos is using the Chitauri as his own personal shields," Tony repeated. "Which means—"</p><p>"Which means all those other dudes are probably the ones searching for the stone then," said Sam. "Right?"</p><p>"Yeah. But since they don't know exactly where it is, then—"</p><p>"Then this could literally go on forever," Sam cut in. "Not exactly feasible, Steve."</p><p>"No, it's not," agreed Steve, his tone suggesting that he suspected what Tony was implying and did not like it. "Which means our objective is still to find Thanos and take him out."</p><p><em>Mmm, </em>Tony thought, frowning as he glanced back up at the wormhole. While the flow of Chitauri had slowed down a bit, they were still steadily coming, and would likely continue until their supply was exhausted—not likely—or until Thanos decided to try something else.</p><p>Also not likely. If Tony had learned anything from his fight against Thanos, it was that he was even more stubborn than Steve.</p><p><em>What a goddamn, lazy-ass bastard, </em>Tony thought as he repulsed away yet another Gamorrean alien, smirking when Scott stomped him into the ground as he lumbered by. <em>And what happens if somehow another Thanos comes through the wormhole, hmm?</em></p><p>The second that thought flitted across Tony's mind, he slammed to a halt, hovering directly above a pile of bloody attack dog carcasses as he tried like hell to talk himself out of the idea he knew Steve would find completely mad.</p><p>Because it was. It was just as mad as using a quantum tunnel to go back to the past to try and alter the future.</p><p>Actually, it was worse.</p><p>But the way Tony saw it, unless they could come up with something else, and like, right the hell <em>now</em>, he couldn't see how they could avoid it. Strange had said there were only two ways for them to be victorious, and Tony highly doubted that one of them consisted of them just standing around watching as an endless army poured through a wormhole.</p><p>"Steve," he tentatively said. "Honey… I think we need to—"</p><p>A sudden and complete blackening of the sun over Wakanda cut him off, and Tony gasped as he looked up to see a massive ship, large enough to hold hundreds of the circular ships like the one that had appeared over New York City, exit the wormhole.</p><p>Apparently Thanos was calling for even more reinforcements.</p><p>"Steve!" Tony shrieked.</p><p>"I see it!" responded Steve. "Eyes up, everyone!"</p><p>Once again the battle seemed to pause as everyone on both sides glanced up at the gargantuan ship, watching as it settled about two hundred or so metres above the ground. Tony's heart thudded as he heard T'Challa order his warriors to regroup, followed directly by Valkyrie ordering the Asgardians to do the same.</p><p>"Damn, but that thing is big," Sam said under his breath. "Someone must be compensating for something."</p><p>"Yeah, 'cause the fact that Thanos is just as big as Hulk isn't already compensating enough?" asked Rhodey.</p><p>"Hey, I'm just sayin'," added Sam. "I can recognise a blatant call for attention when I see one."</p><p>Tony had just opened his mouth to offer his own quip in reply when Thanos suddenly emerged from a battalion of Chitauri at least five warriors deep on all sides, carrying some kind of double-bladed weapon that was almost as long as he was tall. Tony's upper lip curled into a sneer as he watched the ugly purple beast meander his way out onto the battlefield like he owned the fucking thing, the Space and Reality stones still glowing brightly in the golden gauntlet that covered his entire left hand and forearm.</p><p>"Pete?" Tony called, relieved when his voice didn't waver too much. "Buddy, what's your position?"</p><p>"Clint and I have got him, Tony," answered Natasha. "He's secure."</p><p>"Thanks, Nat," said Steve.</p><p>"I'm fine," added Peter, rather petulantly. "I told you guys you don't need to worry about me."</p><p>"Yeah, and we've both told <em>you </em>that it's an involuntary response, buddy," said Tony. "Like breathing."</p><p>"Uh huh," Peter said after a short pause, during which Tony could tell that Natasha whispered something to him.</p><p>
  <em>Sometimes it really does take a village…</em>
</p><p>"And cue the monologue in three… two… one…" Rhodey said as Thanos came to a stop in front of the Chitauri, a leering smile stretching across his puffy purple lips.</p><p>"Don't think for a moment that I don't know what you did here," Thanos began, the gauntlet catching on the single thin beam of light still making its way around the massive ship. "You just couldn't live with your own failure."</p><p>"Oh Jesus <em>Christ!</em>" Tony muttered. "Where in the hell does this guy get off—?"</p><p>"And where did that bring you?" Thanos continued. "Right back to me."</p><p>
  <em>You goddamn arrogant son of a bitch—!</em>
</p><p>"I thought that by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive. But you've shown me that's impossible. And as long as there are those who remember what was, there will always be those who are unable to accept what can be. They will resist."</p><p>"Yep," Tony said firmly. "We're all kinds of stubborn."</p><p>
  <em>Especially when your "can be" means that my son has to die.</em>
</p><p>"Oh, and I'm thankful," continued Thanos, his grin widening into a leer. "Because now, I know what I must do. Once I locate that final stone, I will shred this universe down to its last atom. And then I will create a new one, teeming with life that knows not what it has lost, but only what it has been given. A grateful universe."</p><p>"Born out of nothing but blood," Steve spat out.</p><p>"They'll never know it," snapped Thanos, just as vehemently. "Because none of you will be alive to tell them!"</p><p>Whatever else he might have said was drowned out by Thor's ear splitting cry as he flung his axe in Thanos' direction, which Thanos then batted away with his blade as though it was nothing more than a toy.</p><p>"You are no match for me!" Thanos snarled. "No matter how big your army grows, mine will always be bigger! You have lost!"</p><p>"Never!" Steve cried, raising his shield in Tony's direction. A heartbeat later Tony planted his feet and fired his repulsors at the shield, gritting his teeth as Steve directed the beam at Thanos. But just like the axe, Thanos deflected it easily with his blade, blasting away several of his own Chitauri warriors in the process.</p><p>True to his word, Thanos didn't care who he killed in order to accomplish his goal. Just so long as he came out victorious.</p><p>"We gotta do something about that ship!" Tony stated as he did a quick check of his suit's parameters. If he could increase the power by about seventy-five percent, then firing three of his Jericho formations directly into the thing's power core would hopefully be enough to disable it.</p><p>He'd need some cover, though.</p><p>"Rhodey, Sam, you with me? I got an idea."</p><p>"Hoo boy," answered Rhodey as he and Sam immediately broke off their formation, flying towards Tony. "I am really hoping this doesn't mean what it used to mean."</p><p>Tony couldn't help but grin. "Ahh, it's probably a lot closer than you wanna think."</p><p>"Oh. Great," muttered Rhodey. "Long as you remember that I'm not as young as I used to be, all right?"</p><p>"Okay, I am sure that I don't wanna know," said Sam as he and Rhodey met Tony in midair. "What's up?"</p><p>"We need to take out the ship," Tony said, ignoring Steve's shocked, "<em>What?"</em> that came over the comm. "Rhodey, how many of those fancy grenades have you got left?"</p><p>"Ah, my HUD's registering eight, plus the two reserve built into each of my gauntlets," answered Rhodey. "You think that's gonna be enough?"</p><p>"It'll have to be," said Tony. "Falcon, you'll cover for us?"</p><p>"Yep," answered Sam. "Just tell me when."</p><p>"Tony, just… wait a second!" Steve cried, the fear in his voice gripping Tony's heart like a vise. "Are you <em>sure</em> about this?"</p><p>Tony hesitated a second before answering. "No, hon, I'm not. But we've still gotta try."</p><p>'<em>Cause you're sure as hell not gonna like what we'll have to do if this doesn't work.</em></p><p>When no further response came, Tony dove down, skimming along the underbelly of the ship as Sam followed at drafting distance, guns at the ready.</p><p>"JARVIS, find me the power source."</p><p>"Yes, sir," replied JARVIS as a target symbol appeared on Tony's HUD, highlighting a spot about two-thirds of the way across. "I am reading an electromagnetic spike at this location."</p><p>"Well, that's as good of a place as any," Tony muttered as he came to a stop at what he hoped was a safe distance away. He sucked in a deep breath as he zoomed in on the location, flinching as Sam's guns began firing somewhere behind him. The Chitauri were on to them.</p><p>"Send this over to Rhodey, will ya?"</p><p>"I've already got it, Tones," Rhodey said as Sam took out yet another Chitauri warrior, sending him careening into the outer hull of the ship. "Target is locked, waiting on your mark."</p><p>"Got it. Hold onto your socks." Tony held his breath as his targeting system let out a faint <em>beep, </em>the target highlighted in a set of red crosshairs. "JARVIS? Give it everything we've got."</p><p>"Very good, sir. Firing in three… two… one… mark!"</p><p>The heat from the exploding ship was so searingly strong that for a moment, Tony was actually scared that his suit might lose its cohesion. But once the fireball had dissipated and he was able to peel open his eyes again, he found that not only had they destroyed the ship, they had also taken out at least three universes worth of the Chitauri warriors.</p><p>"Tony!" Steve shrieked over the comm, obviously frantic. "Tony, are you guys all right?"</p><p>"Yeah, hon, we're all good up here," Tony answered, breathing out a sharp sigh of relief when he noticed both Rhodey and Sam flying towards him. "We're all good."</p><p>"Well, I'd say we definitely got their attention!" Sam said as he came to a stop next to Tony.</p><p>"Yeah," agreed Rhodey. "The only problem is that I'm pretty much out of ammo now."</p><p>"Well—<em>whoa!</em>" he exclaimed as JARVIS suddenly zoomed him out of the way just in time to avoid being bowled over by another ship as it suddenly appeared at the wormhole's exit, this one even more ridiculously massive than the one they'd just blown up. "Oh, <em>shit!"</em></p><p>"This guy really is just a goddamn cheater!" Sam yelled as below them, Thanos raised his blade over his head.</p><p>"Rain fire!" he ordered.</p><p>"Uhh… rain <em>what?"</em> Rhodey asked. A second later, about a hundred guns slid into position on the ventral half of the ship and began firing shimmering blue bursts of energy onto the battlefield. Screams immediately erupted as T'Challa, Valkyrie, and Steve all ordered their teams to find cover, while rage and fear surged through Tony's veins, just as blue-hot as the energy blasts peppering the battlefield.</p><p>"You goddamn sick son of a bitch!" he screamed as he tried to blast one of the guns with one of his shoulder rockets. But the ship seemed to be made out of the same kind of material as Thanos' blade weapon, causing the rocket to bounce harmlessly off.</p><p>"Steve!" Tony gasped, swerving to the left to avoid one of the guns that had locked onto him. "Steve, where's—where's Pete? Where is he—do you have him?"</p><p>"I've got Петр here with me, Тони," Bucky said over the comm, nearly causing Tony to melt with relief. "We're in the very centre of the Asgardian army with Ванда and Пьетро, and the wizard dudes are giving us cover."</p><p>"Oh, thank God!" Tony knew Bucky would rather die than let anything happen to Peter, and Wanda was powerful as hell too.</p><p>"Just… keep him with you until we figure this out, okay, Buck?" Steve asked.</p><p>"And how in the hell are we gonna do that?" demanded Rhodey. "I used up almost all of my ammo on the first—!"</p><p>"Sir!" JARVIS exclaimed. "Something's just entered the upper atmosphere!"</p><p>"<em>What—?"</em></p><p>"Look!" Sam cut in, causing Tony to whip around as Sam pointed his guns towards the sky, and the shimmering beam of golden light that was hurtling directly for the ship.</p><p>The very same golden light that had arrived to rescue Tony and the others when they were stranded in space, at almost the exact moment when he'd lost all hope.</p><p>Carol 'Avenger' Danvers. Although Tony felt a more apt callsign for her would be 'Angel'.</p><p>"Carol!" Steve called from somewhere below. "We need an assist here!"</p><p>"I'm on it, Captain," Carol replied as she aimed directly for the top of the ship, barrelling through it three times like it was made of nothing but clay. The guns instantly ceased their firing, drooping back against the hull of the ship like a bunch of thick, wet noodles as the whole thing tilted sideways, finally crashing against the distant Wakandan mountains.</p><p>"Aw, yeah!" Tony heard Rocket, the goofy raccoon, exclaim from the ground. "Now that's what I call an entrance!"</p><p>"Okay, Rhodey, I'd say you definitely picked a winner there," Tony said, smirking at Rhodey's sputtering reply as he took off towards the Asgardian army, hidden under a blanket of shimmering golden shields. There he found most of the team, including Steve, who had Peter clutched in his arms with his shield held over his head.</p><p>It was almost exactly how he had carried Peter to their rescue helicopter back in Afghanistan six years ago, after he'd saved Peter's life, and it hit Tony almost as hard this time as it did then.</p><p>In the span of six years, Tony had gone from being a single dad who manufactured weapons and lived under the shadow of an overbearing asshole to a married superhero who was now literally attempting to save the universe.</p><p>
  <em>Ho. Ly. Shit.</em>
</p><p>"Dad!" Peter said as his mask retracted, his curly hair flopping every which direction. "That was so cool what you and Uncle James did to that ship!"</p><p>"Yeah, but not as cool as what Carol did to the second one," answered Tony. He ruffled Peter's hair as he quirked an eyebrow at Steve, giving him his <em>we need to talk </em>look.</p><p>"Right," said Steve, nodding towards Peter. "Dad and I need to discuss something for a second, little guy, okay? We'll be right back."</p><p>"Um… okay," Peter said, frowning. "You know I'm not three years old, right? I can handle you guys standing a few metres away."</p><p>"Ah ha ha ha," Tony said as he took Steve's arm, guiding him over to the very edge of the Asgardian army. Thanks to Carol's dramatic arrival, Thanos' side seemed to be in a regrouping phase, which suited Tony just fine. He could use a few seconds to breathe.</p><p>"Steve," Tony said once they were out of earshot, his heart lurching as he studied his husband's face, which was covered in dirt, sweat, and blood from various scratches and bruises.</p><p>At least his uniform wasn't torn up. In fact, aside from a few splotches of dirt here and there, Steve's uniform hardly even looked used, much less like it usually did during a battle of this scale.</p><p>The nanites were doing their job beautifully.</p><p>"Honey, I think we need to—"</p><p>"Absolutely not," Steve said in his Captain's voice, glaring at Tony for even daring to suggest such a thing. "Tony, I won't allow Thanos to get his hands on that stone, and that's all there is to it!"</p><p>Tony let out a quick sigh. This was exactly how he figured Steve would react.</p><p>"Okay, but honey, just listen for a second, yeah? Yes, we are stopping him. We have been stopping him. But we're nowhere near to actually getting <em>rid </em>of him, which is exactly what we could do if we—"</p><p>"And you know there's no way any of us would survive it!" Steve exclaimed. "Tony, you didn't see Thanos when he snapped his fingers the first time, but I did! And it nearly killed him!"</p><p>"Oh, and having Thor's giant axe embedded in his chest didn't have anything to do with that, right?" retorted Tony.</p><p>Steve huffed, his bright blue eyes piercing under his cowl. "It's still too dangerous. The timing would have to be—"</p><p>"Impeccable," finished Tony. "You're right, it would. We'd have to time it down to the very last millisecond. But we can do it." Tony paused, taking hold of Steve's elbows. "Honey, we're the Avengers, and you have trained us very, very well. We can <em>do </em>this!"</p><p>Steve's lips twitched, his eyes softening just a bit as he glanced over to where their team stood, surrounded by Thor's people and protected by a group of wizards who up until a year ago, Tony hadn't believed even existed.</p><p>"We'd have to kill Thanos first," Steve said softly. "As soon as he places the stone in the gauntlet, we'd have to kill him."</p><p>"Or just cut off his arm," said Tony. "Either would work, so long as we get our hands on the gauntlet."</p><p>"Okay, but then what?" asked Steve, obviously dreading the answer.</p><p>"Then we snap our own fingers," Tony said firmly. "And we get rid of all the Chitauri and all the Thanoses in all the universes. We finish this whole goddamn thing once and for all."</p><p>Steve bit down hard on his bottom lip, studying the distant mountains for several heartbeats. "Who?" he finally asked. "Who would do it?"</p><p>"I would," Thor said as he suddenly appeared next to Steve. "I will wield the gauntlet."</p><p>Tony bobbed his head. "Well… I was gonna suggest that all you enhanced types could draw straws or something, but if you're volunteering—"</p><p>"No. We should still draw straws," Steve said as he turned to Thor. "This isn't something you should do just 'cause you think you need to make up for what happened."</p><p>Thor glanced down at his axe, twirling its handle in his hand. "I understand that, Captain. But if I can somehow make up for what I failed to do the last time, then I would hope you would allow me the opportunity. I am the strongest Avenger. It should be me."</p><p>"Pretty sure Hulk would have a thing or two to say about that, but you're definitely damn close," Tony said. "I'm also pretty sure that Carol could hold her own with those stones too, based on what she did to that ship."</p><p>"That is quite likely," agreed Thor. "But I still maintain that it should be me. I am the least likely to perish in the attempt."</p><p>Steve glanced over at Tony, giving him his <em>you're lucky I love you </em>look, complete with an extra helping of both his worry wrinkle and his steel-cutting jawline.</p><p>"All right," he said quietly. "But let me clear this with King T'Challa first, okay? I want to reassure him that the Soul Stone will be returned to his people as soon as we're done using it."</p><p>"Yeah, that's fair," Tony said with a nod. He turned to Thor, eyeing the massive axe in his hands. "You're sure you can bury that thing in Thanos' neck this time? Preferably right under his chin?"</p><p>"I am absolutely positive," stated Thor. "No question."</p><p>"Well, all right then," Tony said as he locked eyes with Steve. "Let's do this."</p><p>About a thousand different emotions crossed Steve's gorgeous eyes in the span of a second or two.</p><p>"All right," he finally said. "We'll do it."</p><hr/><p>Steve's heart was thudding madly, his mind racing to come up with any other possible solution than the one Tony had just suggested.</p><p>But he couldn't. As much as he hated to admit it, Tony's plan was the only way he could think of to rid the universe of Thanos for good.</p><p>If only he had taken one final trip in the quantum tunnel before they'd left. Then he could have ensured that this was the only way they could win, rather than leave it up to chance.</p><p>As Sam liked to say, though, life was full of 'if onlys' and 'what ifs' and 'could've beens', and dwelling on them was not only a waste of time, it also didn't help anything. Or anyone.</p><p>Not even Steve.</p><p>"Can you do me one favour, please?" he asked as he slipped his arm around Tony's waist. "Can you first ask Dr Strange if this is how we can win?"</p><p>"Yeah, hon, I can give it a try," Tony said softly. "But it's anyone's guess if he'll actually give me an answer. He seems to enjoy the whole 'all-knowing' part of his job a bit too much, if you know what I mean."</p><p>"Yes, I do. I'd appreciate it, though." Steve dipped his head, brushing his lips across Tony's in a soft kiss. "Be careful, please."</p><p>"Long as you do the same," Tony murmured.</p><p>"I will," Steve said with a nod. He attempted a smile, one that Tony eagerly returned before pecking his lips in another kiss.</p><p>"That's my man."</p><p>Reluctantly, Steve released Tony, watching as he headed over to regroup with James, Sam, Quill, and Carol, who had just landed underneath the wizards' protective umbrella. Ever since her rather dramatic arrival, Thanos seemed to have given up on trying to summon more of his massive ships through the wormhole.</p><p>Which was something, at least. Still nowhere near enough, but Steve was grateful for it anyway.</p><p>"I'm gonna go speak with King T'Challa," Steve told Thor. "As soon as he gives the okay, I'll reveal the location of the Soul Stone. It's gonna be up to us to keep our eyes on it until Thanos gets it locked in the gauntlet, but as soon as that happens—"</p><p>"I will take him out," Thor finished. He clapped a strong hand on Steve's shoulder. "Very good, Captain."</p><p>"Yeah," Steve said, huffing out a sharp breath. <em>Let's just hope it works.</em></p><p>Searching the debris-laden battlefield, Steve located King T'Challa standing within a group of his warriors, all holding their body-length shields over their heads.</p><p>"Your Highness," he said, offering the king a short bow. "If you don't mind, there's something I need to discuss with you."</p><p>"I do not mind at all, Captain," T'Challa said graciously as the four warriors surrounding him all backed off three paces. "What can I do for you?"</p><p>Hesitating only for a second, Steve quickly laid out Tony's plan, assuring the king that they had absolutely no intentions of keeping the Soul Stone once it was located.</p><p>"As soon as Thor snaps his fingers and Thanos and his army are gone, the Soul Stone will be returned. You have my word," Steve said. "I know how important the stone is to your people."</p><p>T'Challa sighed, glancing back at his army. "Yes, it is important, Captain," he said. "But if this conflict has taught me anything, it is that sometimes we Wakandans place too much emphasis on what was, and not enough on what could be. You have my permission to reveal the location of the stone. I only ask for one thing in return."</p><p>"You got it," replied Steve.</p><p>"That you explain to me how you acquired your knowledge of the stone's location," said T'Challa.</p><p>"Uhh…" Steve stammered. From what he could tell, T'Challa didn't appear to be upset. More like… curious.</p><p>"It does not have to be right this very moment, Captain," T'Challa assured him. "Once the conflict is over will do just fine."</p><p>"You have my word, Your Highness" said Steve. "Once this is all over."</p><p>T'Challa gave a nod. "Thank you."</p><p>"No, thank you," Steve said. "My husband, Tony, he's coordinating with the rest of our team now. Once we're all in position, I'll reveal the location. I would greatly appreciate it if we could count on you and your warriors to help protect us."</p><p>"You can count on us," stated T'Challa. "My warriors and I will be ready."</p><p>With a final nod, Steve hurried back to the rest of the team, still huddled underneath the wizards' shields.</p><p>"It's a go," Steve said, tightening his grip on his shield. "King T'Challa and his warriors will be our backups."</p><p>"Well, I guess that's good news," said Clint. "Sure'd be nice if we didn't have to do it like this, though."</p><p>"I agree," said Steve. "But Tony's right, it's really the only way to stop it. Otherwise this could just go on forever."</p><p>"And no one wants that," stated Natasha.</p><p>"No, we don't," agreed Steve. He straightened his shoulders, glancing around at his teammates. "I know we're all tired, but now's not the time to give in. Think of it as the bottom of the ninth. The score is tied, the bases are loaded, and the count is full, which means that—"</p><p>"The next pitch will decide the game," finished Bucky. He turned to Steve, giving him a rather sly wink. "Just like that one game that we watched… what year was it?"</p><p>"1938, Buck," Steve said fondly. He could remember that incredible baseball game like it was yesterday. "It was the Dodgers against the Giants. And against all odds, the Dodgers won."</p><p>
  <em>Just like we're gonna win.</em>
</p><p>"Damn right," said Clint, as if he'd heard Steve's thought. "'Cause I don't know 'bout the rest of you, but I've about had my fill of this asshole."</p><p>"I know you're not the only one," said Steve. "Tony?"</p><p>"Yeah, hon?"</p><p>"Did you get anything useful from Dr Strange?"</p><p>"Not unless you count another goddamn riddle as 'useful'," grumbled Tony. "Said something to the effect of, if he tells me what happens, then it won't, or some other such bullshit."</p><p>"Mmm." Steve supposed that Dr Strange was sworn to secrecy by some stonekeeper oath or something, but he had just about had enough of all of the so-called "rules" regarding the infinity stones.</p><p>All he wanted was for the battle to be over, so he could take his husband and son home.</p><p>"So, you got any ideas on how I can identify the stone's location?" Steve asked.</p><p>"You mean, other than just pointing to it and waving a flag?"</p><p>Steve dropped his head, chuckling. "Yes, Tony. Other than that."</p><p>"Well… I'm sure if you asked 'em real nice, the nanites in your suit would display it for you. Kinda like an outsider's HUD," said Tony. "You could make it look like you're trying to protect it, when really you're—"</p><p>"Displaying it for all the world to see," said Steve. "Yeah, I got it."</p><p>"Yep," said Tony as he, James, and Sam came to hover about twenty metres above the wizards' shields, with Quill and Carol taking up flanking positions. "Waiting on your signal, hon."</p><p>"All right." With a nod at T'Challa, Steve, Thor, and Bucky all made their way towards the palace, pausing about ten metres from where the Soul Stone lay buried beneath the ground's surface. As soon as they were in position, he tapped the star in the middle of his chest, his heart quickening as his suit generated something that resembled a radar image, the location displayed as a bright yellow blinking dot.</p><p>"So, uh… Стиви? How'd you know where this thing was?" Bucky asked, his rifle at the ready. So far no one in Thanos' army had seemed to notice what they were doing, but Steve knew it was only a matter of seconds before that changed.</p><p>"That's part of the same long story as the rest, Buck," Steve answered. "One that I promise we'll tell once this is all over."</p><p>"Mmm, okay," muttered Bucky. "But something tells me it's gonna be a doozy of a story."</p><p>"That something would be correct." Steve's breath hitched as he noticed one of the demon-like aliens whisper something to Thanos before pointing towards them. "Get ready. Looks like we're about to have company."</p><p>"I'm ready," Bucky said firmly, his rifle trained on the alien now barrelling towards them, flanked by four Chitauri warriors. "Should I take 'em out?"</p><p>"Yes," answered Steve. "We need Thanos to personally retrieve it."</p><p>Bucky grinned, firing a bullet directly between the alien's eyes. "Copy that." Less than a second later the four Chitauri were laid out on the plain, and Bucky was already reloading.</p><p>"Keep 'em coming."</p><p>"Oh, they are still coming, Sir Buchanan," Thor said as an entire squadron of Chitauri took off towards them. With a rather evil grin, he raised his axe, summoning a series of lightning bolts that he brought directly down on their heads, knocking them flat.</p><p>"Tony, I need you and the flyers to start taking out the rest of the Chitauri guarding Thanos," ordered Steve. "We need to get him isolated."</p><p>"Copy that, hon," Tony said, the sound of his repulsors booming across the sky as he, James, Quill, and Sam all swooped down, firing at the Chitauri squadron like a quartet of P-52 Mustangs. Their barrage of fire was so strong that they managed to knock several of the Chitauri into Thanos, pushing him to the ground while Carol took care of the rest of the Chitauri guards, vaporising them with powerful energy blasts from her fists.</p><p>"Стив! Look!" Bucky exclaimed, pointing the tip of his rifle at the sky. Steve's jaw dropped as the wormhole, which had continued to bleed Chitauri the entire time they'd been standing there, suddenly closed in on itself, the loud <em>swoosh </em>it emanated as it disappeared echoing across the vast plain.</p><p>They had finally broken Thanos' hold on the stones. And now it was time for them to finish it.</p><p>"The wormhole's collapsed!" Tony shrieked as he swerved back around. "Quill, you and Carol take out the rest of his guards. Rhodey, Sam, let's get behind that fucker and force him over to Steve!"</p><p>"I copy, Mr Man!" replied Quill.</p><p>"Copy that!" said Sam as he and James fell in behind Tony, taking up position behind Thanos' lines. "It's time to take this asshole down some notches!"</p><p>"Thor, be ready," Steve said, gripping his shield so tightly that his arm was shaking. "At my signal, back off just enough to allow Thanos to retrieve the stone."</p><p>"Then I will take him out!" yelled Thor, letting out an almost feral growl as Thanos drew closer. "And I, Thor Odinson, god of thunder, will finally have my revenge!"</p><p>Steve's heart was in his throat as he silently counted the seconds down, finally ordering Bucky and Thor to back off just as Thanos was about ten paces away. Less than a second later, Thanos raised his arm, the red Reality Stone glinting brightly in the gauntlet as the entire plain transformed into the same apocalyptic landscape as before, revealing the yellow Soul Stone glowing beneath the surface.</p><p>"Steve?" Tony said as he touched down about twenty metres away, his voice laced with trepidation. "Honey, is he—?"</p><p>"It's okay, Tony," Steve assured him, even as his own belly swooped in fear. His eyes were trained on Thanos, his blood boiling at the triumphant smile plastered across the ugly purple brute's face as he drove his hand down into the ground, reaching for the stone.</p><p>If this didn't work—</p><p>"Стив?" Bucky said, his shoulders trembling ever-so-slightly as he stared through his rifle's scope, ready to fire. "Стив, how long—?"</p><p>"Not yet," Steve murmured, even as his fists ached to punch the nose right from Thanos' face. The Power Stone power trip Thanos had gone on before acquiring the Soul Stone the first time around was still fresh in Steve's mind, and he absolutely did <em>not</em> want a repeat of it.</p><p>"Soon as he gets the stone," Steve added. A bolt of pain shot across the knuckles on his right hand, forcing him to slowly flex his fingers. "We have to wait until he gets the stone."</p><p>"Copy that," Bucky said softly.</p><p>Steve nodded, his back ramrod straight and his jaw clenched so tightly that it was throbbing as he watched Thanos yank the stone out from deep within the soil, shaking it free of dirt before holding it up to the sun, as if he were admiring it.</p><p>"So beautiful, isn't it?" he said, to no one in particular. "I've always imagined the Soul Stone to be the most striking of them. Almost like it's carrying its very own universe inside."</p><p>"You goddamn sick son of a bitch!" Tony spat out over the comm. "Of all the egotistical, assholish ways to—!"</p><p>"Stand by!" Steve sharply whispered, watching through narrowed eyes as Thanos carefully moved the stone over to the gauntlet, dropping it down into its awaiting slot. Almost immediately, his entire body seized, the bellowing cry he let out as the combined power of the six stones surged through him just as jarring to Steve as it had been the first time.</p><p>"Steady!" Steve warned, his belly giving a violent swoop as Thanos managed to get the surge under enough control to raise his arm.</p><p>"Thor, now!" Steve nearly choked as Thor immediately launched his axe towards Thanos, aiming it directly for the giant brute's neck.</p><p>But then, to Steve's abject horror, only a split-second before the blade would have pierced Thanos' purple flesh, it was knocked away, embedding itself into the trunk of a distant tree with a loud <em>thunk.</em> Before Steve could even react, Thor himself was launched from the ground, hurtling through the air before crashing down at least two hundred metres away.</p><p>"Did you honestly believe that I would remain unguarded?" Thanos sneered in Steve's direction. He jerked his head over to where one of his minions stood a few metres away, one of the very same aliens who had landed in New York at the beginning of this whole mess.</p><p>The one Tony had so aptly nicknamed, Voldemort.</p><p>"The Maw is one of my most devoted children. A devotion that stretches beyond the borders of universes," Thanos continued as the Voldemort alien stepped over next to Thanos, Steve's rage spiking at the smug look on his hideous face. "And now, once I have rid this planet of all of its pesky and annoying little people, he will be properly rewarded with it. And he will do with it whatever he pleases."</p><p>"Never!" Steve screamed as he launched his shield at Thanos with every ounce of his strength, crying out in shock as the alien deflected it away as if it were nothing more than a frisbee.</p><p>"You have lost, Captain!" Thanos snarled, his words vibrating with laughter. "Just as you lost before!"</p><p>Steve shook his head, holding out his arm for his shield to return to him. "I will <em>never </em>accept that!" he cried as he launched the shield again, this time aided by a sudden blast from Carol Danvers that was powerful enough to both take out the alien and slam Thanos down onto his back.</p><p>"Thor!" Steve yelled, his panic ratcheting when Thor didn't reply. "Thor, where are you?"</p><p>
  <em>We need to take him out now!</em>
</p><p>"Captain!" Carol cried as she attempted to reach for the gauntlet before Thanos got to his feet, only for him to actually remove the Power Stone from the gauntlet, encase it in his right fist, and punch her directly in the face with it, sending her flying across the plain.</p><p>"Steve!" Tony yelped as Steve watched Thanos struggle to replace the Power Stone, his entire body sparkling with bolts of bright purple lightning. "Honey, we've got no other choice! I've gotta—!"</p><p>"<em>No!"</em> Steve yelled. <em>No, God, please!</em></p><p>"Tony, you stand down! That's an order!"</p><p>But even as he said it, he knew it was too late. Tony was already skidding to a stop in front of Thanos, already reaching his armoured hands towards the gauntlet, as if he were trying to pull it off Thanos' arm. With a furious growl, Thanos yanked the gauntlet away, backhanding Tony into a big pile of debris several metres away. Steve's panicked cry of alarm caught in his throat as Thanos sneered in triumph before raising his left arm, preparing to snap his fingers.</p><p>"You were always going to lose," Thanos said, his raspy voice scraping along Steve's fraying nerves like a straight razor. "Because I am inevitable."</p><p>
  <em>No! Oh God, this can't be happening!</em>
</p><p>The Avengers were about to lose. Again.</p><p>And this time, there would be no coming back.</p><p>The <em>clink</em> the gauntlet's metal fingers made as they snapped uselessly against each other was so small it was almost pathetic. Aghast, Steve could only gape as Thanos' face rapidly transformed from triumph to shock to rage as he glanced over at Tony, on his knees with his right arm held out in front of him, the six infinity stones locking themselves into place within his nanite armour.</p><p>"Tony!" Steve tried to shout as the sparkling bolts of coloured energy began flowing up and down Tony's arm, extending across the right half of his chest and up to his neck. But his cry jammed in his throat, firmly held in place by his heart, which felt like it had been transformed into a solid block of ice.</p><p>It was just like the Battle of New York all over again, when he'd watched Tony fly a nuclear missile through Loki's portal while he just stood there on the ground.</p><p>Just like the battle in the Miami bunker, against Killian's Aminacin army, when Obadiah Stane blasted away Tony's arc reactor, and he crashed straight into a one-metre thick cinder block wall.</p><p>Both times when Steve could only watch in horror, completely helpless to do anything to save his beloved.</p><p>"No!" he croaked, completely frozen in place as Tony gritted his teeth, his entire body shaking with the effort of controlling the stones.</p><p>
  <em>Sweetheart, please! Don't do this!</em>
</p><p>"And I…" Tony forced out, his cheeks growing more and more grey with every beat of Steve's heart. His beautiful long fingers splayed apart, preparing to snap.</p><p>"Captain!" The ferocity of the voice startled Steve, and he turned his head to find the green alien woman, Gamora, flying towards Tony in Quill's arms. "Captain, you must take his hand!"</p><p>Without a microsecond's hesitation, Steve forced his body forward and grabbed onto Tony's left hand, any question he might've had as to why completely obliterated as he felt the stones' combined power began to transfer across their connected hands and into his own body.</p><p>And the pain was so excruciating, far beyond anything that Steve had ever before felt, that he had no idea how Tony was able to remain conscious, much less stay coherent.</p><p>"I'm here, sweetheart!" he forced past his clenched teeth, squeezing Tony's hand as tightly as he dared. "Tony, I'm here!"</p><p>"Peter!" Gamora cried as she placed her left hand onto Tony's right shoulder, shaking her right hand in Quill's face. "Peter, take my hand! We must help them!"</p><p>"Drax! Rocket!" Quill shouted as he took Gamora's hand, the power surging through Steve's body decreasing slightly. "Dudes, where the hell are you?"</p><p>"Papa! I'm here!" Steve suddenly heard from his left, his eyes widening in shock as Peter landed next to him and grabbed onto his left hand before Steve could protest, gripping it so tightly that Steve couldn't have shaken him loose if he'd tried.</p><p>"Hold tight, little guy!" Steve called over the escalating noise, much like an airplane preparing for takeoff. "Peter, just… don't let go of me!"</p><p>"Do it now!" Carol yelled as she landed next to Peter, taking his free hand between both of her own, her entire body glowing in blue and yellow. "Stark, do it now!"</p><p>And then, as Steve watched, his eyes burning with tears just as flaming hot as the immense power coursing through Tony's makeshift nanite gauntlet, his husband, none other than Iron Man himself and the strongest person that Steve had ever seen in his life, looked Thanos straight in the eye, his lips pursed in defiant determination.</p><p>"And I. Am. Iron Man!"</p><hr/><p>The flash of brilliant white light that followed Tony's snap was blinding, the rippling echoes of it amplified across the entire plain as the six infinity gems dropped to the ground and Tony collapsed against Steve, his entire right side sparking and sizzling like he'd been burned with one of Peter's Bunsen burners. Steve's own right side was burning and tingling too, but he completely ignored the intense pain as he gathered his husband into his arms, brushing the damp, matted hair from his forehead.</p><p>"Tony?" he gasped as tears began to spill down his cheeks. Tony was alive, as his nanite case was still glowing blue, but his vitals were already beginning to crash.</p><p>"Captain, Mr Stark requires immediate medical attention," stated JARVIS. “Life signs are critical.”</p><p>"Yes, JARVIS, I know!" Steve sobbed, pressing a light kiss to Tony's forehead, which was both burning hot and freezing cold. "Oh God, sweetheart, please, just stay with me! Don't—don't—!"</p><p>
  <em>Please, God, don't let him die!</em>
</p><p>"Papa?" Peter said from behind him, trembling and frightened. "Papa, is Dad—is he—?"</p><p>"He's gonna be fine," Steve said firmly. Grunting, he tucked Tony to his chest and got to his feet, frantically glancing around for T'Challa. They had learned on their very first trip to Wakanda that their medicine was very advanced, so if he could just get Tony inside somewhere, then—then—</p><p>"We've just—we've just gotta get him inside, little guy, then—"</p><p>He broke off as he saw General Okoye emerge from the Wakandan army, accompanied by five of her warriors and another young woman, whom Steve recognised as T'Challa's sister, Shuri.</p><p>"Captain, you must accompany Shuri," the general said, indicating for her warriors to begin retrieving the stones. "She will take care of your husband."</p><p>"Thank you," Steve said as Shuri gave a gentle but insistent tug on his arm.</p><p>"Captain, we must hurry. Please, follow me," Shuri said as she led Steve and Peter through the crowded plain, which had fallen completely silent in the aftermath of Tony's snap, save for an eerie sort of whistling noise left behind as each member of Thanos' army faded into ashes.</p><p>Tony had done it.</p><p>He had saved the universe.</p><p><em>But at what cost? </em>Steve thought, stamping down the shame that immediately welled inside his gut. Of course Tony would believe it was worth it, sacrificing one single man in order to save the universe.</p><p>But for Steve, and for Peter, Tony <em>was </em>their universe. And the thought that they might now lose him was—</p><p>It was unbearable.</p><p>“S’eve?” Tony suddenly mumbled, so softly that Steve barely heard him. His eyelids fluttered, trying to open. “S’eve, where’s Pete? Is he—is he—?”</p><p>“Dad, it’s okay, I’m right here,” Peter said, choked with tears as he placed his hand on Tony’s left arm. “You did it, Dad. We won.”</p><p>“Mmm,” Tony murmured, his body almost dead weight in Steve’s arms. “S’ good.”</p><p>“Just... don't try to talk now, mo grá, okay?” Steve pleaded. “Not till we get you fixed up.”</p><p>
  <em>But why’s it always have to be him?</em>
</p><p>"Стив, we did it!" Steve heard Bucky call over the comm as they crossed the aircraft landing area outside of the palace. "They're all fading! Every last one of 'em are fading!"</p><p>"That's great, Buck," Steve managed past his tight, dry throat. "I'm—I’m just—"</p><p>"Don't worry 'bout anything out here, Cap," Clint said sombrely. "We'll take care of the cleanup. You just…"</p><p>Clint trailed off, but Steve understood what he meant anyway.</p><p>
  <em>You just take care of Tony.</em>
</p><p>"In here," Shuri said as two guards opened the doors to the palace into a wide, ornately decorated hallway. "My lab is just around this corner."</p><p>"Thank you, ma'am," Peter said from Steve's elbow. "But is he—is my dad gonna—?"</p><p>"Yes," Shuri said firmly as they arrived inside her lab, which to Steve seemed more like some futuristic movie set than a workspace. She quickly directed Steve to lay Tony down on a table, one which Steve was only semi-shocked to see was suspended in mid air. "He will live as long as I work quickly."</p><p>"Okay," Steve breathed as Shuri tapped Tony's nanite case, her eyebrows twitching as the damaged armour began flowing back inside it.</p><p>"Oh my God!" Peter exclaimed as Steve's eyes swept across the horrible burns that covered nearly the entirety of Tony's right side, including his entire arm, over half of his chest, and parts of his neck and cheek. Steve's stomach turned at the sight of Tony's beautiful olive skin burned almost black, with bits of charred flesh and dirt covering most of the worst areas. As he tried to quell his increasing nausea, Steve felt Peter's fingers curl around his left arm, gripping it tightly.</p><p>"Papa, is—is she really gonna be able to heal all of that?"</p><p>"Yes, I will," stated Shuri. She glanced up at Peter, then towards another of the floating tables about halfway across the room. "You are also injured."</p><p>"Who, me?" Peter asked as Steve tore his eyes away from Tony just long enough to look Peter over, guilt piercing him like a bayonet as he noticed that part of Peter's face and neck were bright red and covered in small raised blisters, like he'd been out in the sun for too long. "No, I'm not—"</p><p>"Shuri's right, little guy," Steve forced out. He could tell that his own neck and cheek were covered with similar blisters, but there was no way in hell he was going to leave Tony's side at the moment. "Just… let her take care of you, okay?"</p><p>Peter's brown eyes were glassy with tears. "But Papa, I can heal just fine on my own! Please, it's Dad we need to worry about, and I wanna stay with him!"</p><p>"Now, Peter," ordered Steve, softening his words with a gentle hand on his son's shoulder. "Please."</p><p>"I can sit with Петр, Стив," Bucky said as he entered the lab, followed by another of the security guards. "You just worry about your husband."</p><p>Steve sniffed, whispering a quick, "Thank you" as Bucky threw his metal arm around Peter's shoulders and guided him over to the table, where a nurse was waiting to treat him.</p><p>"Your son can heal on his own?" Shuri asked as she dunked a large white cloth into a basin of bluish, sweet-smelling liquid, soaking it through.</p><p>Steve gave a quick nod. "Yes. He's got a… genetic mutation that allows him to heal quickly. His healing factor is similar to mine."</p><p>Shuri nodded as she laid the dripping cloth across the worst of Tony's burns, Steve's heart nearly cracking in two when Tony let out a long, agonised groan.</p><p>"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he whispered. "I'm so sorry you're in so much pain."</p><p>"You can hold his hand if it helps you feel better," Shuri said as she quickly soaked another cloth, wrapping it around Tony's right forearm. "It will not hurt him."</p><p>"Thank you," Steve said as he carefully took Tony's left hand, absentmindedly fiddling with the wedding ring on his third finger.</p><p>"<em>Till death do us part," </em>he and Tony had said to each other as part of their wedding vows. <em>And I'm nowhere near ready to part with you just yet.</em></p><p>"Except your healing factor is not due to a mutation, correct?" Shuri asked as she placed a third cloth, this time covering Tony's neck and right cheek. "You were… made?"</p><p>"Yeah," Steve said softly, breathing out a short sigh of relief when Tony seemed to relax a bit, his fingers twitching in Steve's. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."</p><p>Shuri let out a soft chuckle as she finished placing a fourth cloth, gently patting Tony's shoulder. "There is no shame in that, Captain, for my brother was made in a similar fashion. It is both a gift and a curse to be placed in charge of defending the lives of one's people, but you and your team are to be commended. Because of you, we have beaten a most formidable enemy, and now Wakanda can breathe freely again." She flashed Steve a reassuring smile. "Mr Stark is stable for now, so I will go and check on your son."</p><p>Steve nodded in thanks as a guard wheeled a padded chair over next to the table. Slowly, so as not to jostle Tony, he sank down into it, stifling a groan as his sore joints and muscles moulded into the adaptive cushioning, his eyes slipping closed almost against his will.</p><p>They had rid the world—the <em>universe</em>—of a truly formidable enemy.</p><p>And now, once again, all Steve could do was wait.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Whew! 😊 </p><p>As always, I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment! 💗  If you have any special requests on what you might like to see in the final chapter, please let me know! 💗</p><p>Emoji Key for those who don't know what to say in the comments!<br/>❤ = you wish you could kudos again<br/>😭 = I got you right in the feels<br/>🔥 = this was so hot/ sweet!<br/>🐰 = it’s so fluffy!<br/>😣 = the angst is killing me!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A huge, massive thank-you to my wonderful betas, allthesinnersandthesaints and jehbeeeh.  This story would not be the same without them! 💗 💗</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Steve jerked awake as the early-morning Wakandan sunlight began streaming through the tall windows of Shuri's lab, letting out a soft groan as one particularly strong beam hit him directly in the face. He breathed in, rubbing at a stubborn crick in his neck as he reached for the glass of water Shuri had left for him on Tony's bedside table the night before, downing the whole thing in three large gulps. The cool liquid made him shiver as it made its way down his throat and into his completely empty stomach, earning a sharp glare when it growled in protest.</p><p>"You really should eat something, hon," Steve suddenly heard from the fancy, futuristic medical table next to him, nearly causing him to drop the glass as Tony's eyes blinked open.</p><p>"I'm fine, sweetheart," Steve said. "And for God's sake, you don't need to be worrying about me." He gave Tony's hand a gentle squeeze, the hand he'd barely let go of in the three or so days since the battle. "I'm not the one who's—who—"</p><p>
  <em>I'm not the one who nearly died saving the universe.</em>
</p><p>"Yeah, hon, I get it," Tony whispered, his eyes crinkling as he attempted a smile. "You know I do."</p><p>Steve reached for Tony's face, trailing his thumb across his cheekbone. "Yes, I know you do."</p><p>Because he did. If anyone understood the constant need to remain by his loved one's bedside while they were sick or injured, it was Tony.</p><p>"I'm sorry I woke you."</p><p>"Nah, I'm not," murmured Tony. "Gives me some more time to look at your gorgeous face."</p><p>Steve chuckled, his cheeks flushing pink like they always did whenever Tony complimented him.</p><p>Those compliments had been so few and far between in the last year or so, ever since—</p><p>Well, ever <em>since.</em></p><p><em>No, </em>Steve thought, filing the unpleasant thought into the appropriate circular file in his mind.</p><p>The battle was won, and Steve didn't have to think like that anymore.</p><p>"How's Pete doing?" Tony asked, Steve's heart fluttering at how casually the question fell from Tony's lips. Like they hadn't just spent the entire last year lost in an endless pit of grief and despair.</p><p>Like it had only been a dream or something. Or more appropriately, a nightmare.</p><p>Well, then again, Steve supposed it kind of had been.</p><p>"He's fine," Steve answered, just as casually. "Sam stopped by here before his run and told me Peter was still sound asleep. Oh, and he also says he's glad you're feeling better, by the way."</p><p>"Mmm, that's swell of him," Tony said with a nod, shifting slightly on the table. "Bet he and Bucky are spoiling Pete rotten though."</p><p>Steve chuckled as he leaned over to kiss the back of Tony's hand. "You know they always do. Bucky still thinks Peter hung the moon, so…" He trailed off, again shaking his head at the true absurdity of what had been the last several weeks. Scott Lang's sudden appearance at the Compound. Figuring out the quantum tunnel. Spying on the parallel universes, and getting to see his ma again.</p><p>Literally going back in time to fight a battle they had already fought.</p><p>Watching Peter step through a magical portal from another planet, along with all of the others who had been snapped with him, just like it had never even happened.</p><p>Because now, it technically hadn't.</p><p>It was all so bizarre that it was almost impossible for Steve to wrap his mind around it, but at the moment, he didn't really care. Peter and the rest of their missing teammates were back, Thanos and his endless armies had been defeated, and after scaring Steve half to death—again, Tony was going to make a full recovery.</p><p>Aside from that, the logistics didn't really matter.</p><p>At least, not today. Steve knew he would have to sit the entire team down for a pretty intense debriefing once they got home, one where he would explain everything that had happened and what they did to fix it. Clint and Natasha had already explained some things to Wanda, just like Peter had asked more than a few questions of Steve while recovering from his electrical burns. Steve had answered them all to the best of his ability, but he also knew that Peter had a lot more, and had promised him multiple times that he and Tony would both explain everything once they got home.</p><p>
  <em>Home.</em>
</p><p>The news, of course, had been a frenzy of activity, with various reporters and so-called "experts" still discussing the sudden appearance of the first spaceship over New York City—and its subsequent sudden disappearance—as well as the unexplained space phenomenon that was recorded over Africa approximately twenty hours later. Tony and Bruce had both theorised that the phenomenon in question had been caused by the collapse of Thanos' wormhole, which, thanks to the protective shield that encased Wakanda from the rest of the world, had been the only visible evidence of the battle.</p><p>But even despite the outward lack of evidence, Steve had already been contacted by both Nick Fury and Pepper Potts, warning him that the team would have to hold a press conference once they returned home, if for no other reason than to simply reassure the public that the Avengers had eliminated the threat and that they were all still alive. To that end, Natasha, Clint, and the twins had already returned to the Compound so the twins could finish out their senior year of high school, and Bruce had left for the Tower just the day before, after taking a couple of days to de-Hulk with Thor's help.</p><p>Everyone was eager to reassume some level of normalcy after an entire year of absolute chaos. Or at least as "normal" as a team of superheroes could achieve while still being superheroes.</p><p>Based on his experience, though, Steve had a strong feeling that moving on from this particular battle was going to be different.</p><p>That its demons were going to be particularly difficult to control. Steve's had already taken to tormenting him during the few moments he'd managed to sleep in the last three days, and he had a feeling it was only going to get worse as time went on.</p><p>The gut-wrenching horror he'd felt as he watched the six glowing stones lock into place on Tony's gauntlet. The excruciating pain when he took Tony's hand, knowing that for Tony it was a billion times worse.</p><p>The eerie sound and sickening smell of Tony's burning flesh as Steve raced him inside the palace, begging him to <em>please don't die!</em></p><p>
  <em>Please, sweetheart! Stay with me!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I can't lose you!</em>
</p><p>If they hadn't been in Wakanda, and had access to the best medical technology in the entire world, then—</p><p><em>No! </em>Steve yelled inside his mind, giving his head a quick shake. It didn't do any good to dwell on the 'what ifs', Sam always said that was like letting the demons win. Thanos had been defeated, Peter and the others had returned from the dead, and Tony was going to make a full recovery. Fighting against the demons left behind would be a lifelong battle, but one that Steve was more than willing to fight if it meant he'd get to keep his family intact.</p><p>
  <em>I can do this all day.</em>
</p><p>"Honey?" Tony asked, his eyebrows knitting together. "What's—?"</p><p>"It's nothing, mo grá," Steve said quickly. "But Peter's doing just fine. Bucky told me last night that they've been getting in all kinds of trouble."</p><p>Tony tilted his head, eyeing him warily. "Ah. Having that good of a time, hmm?"</p><p>"Oh, you know how Bucky is," Steve said with what he hoped was a playful shrug.</p><p>"Yes, I do," Tony said with wide eyes. "Pete's okay, though?"</p><p>"Yes, he's completely fine," Steve assured him. "His burns weren't nearly as bad as yours, Shuri said they were just like a second-degree sunburn. He was healed up in a few hours."</p><p>"Mmm," muttered Tony, raising an eyebrow. "And what about yours?"</p><p>Steve frowned. He'd been hoping that Tony hadn't noticed his own burns, which had been quite a bit more severe than Peter's but still nowhere near Tony's.</p><p>"I'm fine too, as you can see. No permanent harm done," he said. "And, if it's all the same to you, I've just about had enough with the three of us taking turns getting hurt." He hadn't quite thought about it like that before, but there hadn't been a single one of their more epic battles where at least one of them wasn't either presumed dead or seriously injured, and that definitely needed to stop.</p><p>"And I think we've definitely earned some time off after this one. A nice, long vacation." <em>Preferably one that doesn't end in some kind of crisis.</em></p><p>"Oh, really? Things are really that bad, hmm?" Tony asked, his beautiful lips curling into a soft, rather cheeky smile. "So then, where are we headed after this one, <em>Captain?</em> Is it Ireland again? I'm assuming that you've already made plans."</p><p>Steve couldn't help but chuckle again, encouraged by the sight of his husband's beautiful smile. "I may have made some preliminary plans," he sheepishly admitted. "But that was even before we left, so… let's just say that at the moment they're still in the—"</p><p>"Planning stage?" asked Tony.</p><p>"Yes, if you want to call it that," answered Steve, this time letting out a full-blown laugh. He bought Tony's hand to his lips again, kissing it over his wedding ring. "I don't think you can blame me for looking forward to bringing my husband and son home. And if that home just happens to turn into that incredible estate we stayed in on the Italian coast, well… then so be it."</p><p>Tony's gorgeous brown eyes twinkled as he pretended to ponder. "Well, now I gotta think a minute here, 'cause that's a tough one, you talking about whisking my son and me off to some sunny Mediterranean paradise. But since you're so damn cute and all, I s'pose I'll just have to get over myself and allow you to do it."</p><p>"Good," Steve said softly as he pressed Tony's palm to his cheek. "But we're not going anywhere until you're completely better, okay? Shuri said it shouldn't be much longer."</p><p>"It better not be," Tony said with an exaggerated sigh of relief. "'Cause I am getting really sick and tired of just laying here."</p><p>Steve pressed his lips to Tony's palm, not at all surprised. Tony had always been impatient whenever he was sick or injured, often fighting tooth and nail against Steve and Peter's efforts to get him to take it easy so he could heal.</p><p>He also had a strong feeling that Tony was itching to poke around Shuri's lab a bit more, which was also not at all surprising.</p><p>"I know you are, sweetheart," he whispered as he brought their joined hands back down onto the table. "But I'm still not letting you leave until Shuri says it's okay. She wants to make sure that you don't have any issues with the skin grafts."</p><p>"Mmm," muttered Tony. "And I'm sure you didn't even try and convince her otherwise, hmm?"</p><p>"No, I did not," Steve said firmly. He didn't add that it was he who had asked Shuri to keep Tony for an extra day or so, just to be triply sure that he was all right. "Now, please try and rest some more, okay?"</p><p>Tony frowned, but closed his eyes anyway. "Long as your noisy stomach doesn't wake me up again, <em>Captain."</em></p><p>Steve's throat tightened as he smoothed Tony's hair from his forehead, leaning down to brush a gentle kiss there. "It won't, mo grá. I've ordered it to stand down for the moment." Given the time, he figured Peter would be waking up soon enough, and Steve could send him to get him some food once he came in to check on them.</p><p>Once Tony's breathing had evened out, Steve leaned back in his chair, trailing the pad of his thumb across Tony's knuckles. Shuri had told Steve the night before that Tony's skin grafts were all doing beautifully, which, Peter had explained, wasn't surprising since they had been grown from samples of Tony's own skin and soft tissue cells. There weren't even any scars left behind, which Steve found absolutely incredible given how badly Tony had been burned.</p><p>Shuri had essentially regrown all of Tony's damaged skin, fortifying it in the process to be even stronger than it was.</p><p>The ultimate in de-aging treatments, as Tony had put it.</p><p>Not wanting to waste a golden opportunity, Steve had also asked Shuri to take a peek at Tony's heart and its surrounding blood vessels, where she set about repairing the internal scars left behind from the shrapnel, arc reactor, and the surgery Tony had had after the arc reactor was damaged. She had even offered to heal the damaged nerves in Tony's left arm, which he had suffered way back during one of his first missions as Iron Man. Tony had always tried hard to hide just how often the arm had bothered him over the years, but Steve had always been able to see right through him.</p><p>And now, they no longer had to worry about it.</p><p>And, if it also happened to help Tony live a bit longer, well, then that was perfectly fine with Steve.</p><p>He was just on the verge of sleep again himself when he heard Peter enter the lab, his jovial, "Hey!" to the guard bringing a soft smile to Steve's lips. How he had missed the sound of his son's voice!</p><p>"Hey, little guy," Steve murmured as he got to his feet, holding his arms open for a hug that Peter stepped into without any hesitation. Steve closed his eyes as he buried his nose into his son's downy soft curls, tears pricking behind his closed eyelids.</p><p>
  <em>I missed you so much! We just weren't whole without you!</em>
</p><p>"So, how's Dad doing?" Peter asked once Steve finally released him. "Seems like he's healing just fine."</p><p>"He is," answered Steve. "Shuri said we should be able to go home tomorrow, as long as nothing weird happens."</p><p>"Ah, you mean nothing else weird, right?" Peter said with a smirk.</p><p>Steve breathed in as he nodded. "Yeah, something like that. Did you sleep okay?"</p><p>"Uh huh." Peter's eyes swept across Tony's sleeping form and up to the screen lining the head of the table, which displayed Tony's vital signs. "Uncle Bucky and I are gonna play chess once I get back, and Shuri said she'd show me some of her stuff later too."</p><p>"Mmm. Then you damn well better take some notes, yeah, buddy?" Tony muttered from the table, his eyes still closed. "Or better yet, just ask if you can record the whole thing."</p><p>"Um, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be very diplomatic of me, Dad," said Peter. "So probably not the best idea since they just saved your life, don't ya think?"</p><p>"You mean after <em>we </em>just saved every single one of their asses?" Tony retorted. "So I don't think it's too much to ask—"</p><p>"I'm sure our diplomatic relationship with King T'Challa will eventually grow to include a technology exchange, Tony," Steve cut in. "But for the moment, let's just concentrate on getting home, all right? Which means you need to be resting as much as possible."</p><p>"Mmm," grumbled Tony. "You know how much I hate resting."</p><p>"Pretty sure the entire universe knows how much you hate resting, Dad," Peter said. "It's not exactly breaking news."</p><p>Tony opened one eye, looking so fondly at Peter that Steve's heart nearly melted. "Well, good," he said softly. "They feeding you enough over there in that palace, bud?"</p><p>"Ah, yeah?" answered Peter. "Why wouldn't they be?"</p><p>"Oh, just making sure," said Tony. "Maybe you can convince Papa here to go get himself some food then, hmm?"</p><p>"Tony," Steve said with a sigh. "I told you—"</p><p>"No, Papa, it's okay. I don't mind sitting here with Dad for a while if you wanna go eat," Peter said. "Uncle Sam had just gotten back from running when I left to come over here, so he'll probably be ready to eat too."</p><p>Steve shook his head. "I don't think that—"</p><p>"I think it's a great idea," Tony said, giving Steve a playful glare. "Otherwise you'll have to court-martial that stomach of yours for insubordination, and I am certain that's a hassle you don't need."</p><p>"All right, all right," Steve said, his shoulders dropping in resignation. He leaned over to kiss Tony's forehead. "I won't be long, okay?"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, hot stuff," Tony said with a wink. Steve chuckled as Peter immediately rolled his eyes, leaning down to press another kiss to Tony's lips.</p><p>"I love you," he whispered.</p><p>"Yeah, you're pretty cool yourself," Tony whispered back. "Now, get outta here before your stomach starts eating itself."</p><p>Patting Peter gratefully on the shoulder, Steve made his way past the guards over to the guest wing of the palace, where he found Sam and Bucky just emerging from their quarters.</p><p>"Ah, the mythical Captain emerges!" Sam said with a wide smile. "Bucky and I were just gonna come and see if you guys needed anything."</p><p>"Well, then I'm glad I saved you the trip," said Steve.</p><p>"How's Тони doing?" asked Bucky as they stepped into the guests' dining hall, which was set up like a huge buffet. Steve's mouth was watering before he even picked up a plate, the sights and smells of the spiced meats, sweet pastries, and colourful fruits causing his stomach to go into overdrive.</p><p>"He's doing great," Steve said as he grabbed several of the plumpest, juiciest figs he'd ever seen, adding them to his growing pile of fruit. "Shuri said we should be able to go home tomorrow."</p><p>"Ah, that sounds great," Sam said as he took a seat at the end of a long table. "No offence to the Wakandan's hospitality or anything, but I'm ready to get home."</p><p>"Yeah, we both are," added Bucky, biting into a pastry. "Seems like we've been gone a lot longer than just a few days."</p><p>"Well, I can't fault you there," said Steve. He carefully peeled a banana, biting off a large piece as Bucky's words bounced around in his mind. "Tony and I both really appreciate you sticking around to keep an eye on Peter for us."</p><p>Sam scoffed as he bit into a fig. "Nah, that's nothing. Not even what I'd call work. Just… home is home, ya know?"</p><p>Steve's eyes went wide as he nodded. "Yeah. I do."</p><p>"Pretty sure Петр's anxious to get home too," added Bucky. "Think he misses that girl of his. He was up pretty late last night talking to her."</p><p>"Oh," said Steve as he reached for a second banana. Of course Peter would be missing Gwen, and she, him. Even if it technically had only been a few days since they'd last seen each other.</p><p>A few days that seemed a lot longer than just a few days.</p><p>And of course, Peter wouldn't mention it to his dads. Not when he knew how worried Steve was for Tony.</p><p>"Steve?" Sam said, snapping his fingers in front of Steve's nose. "Did we lose ya there?"</p><p>"No," Steve said. He attempted a smile, one that he knew Sam could see right through. "Just…" He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.</p><p>
  <em>Just that it has been a bit longer than a few days?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Glad you guys are back from the dead?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Glad that Gwen doesn't remember that Peter was missing for an entire year?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>All of the above?</em>
</p><p>"We're gonna be taking a break for a while once we get back. About six weeks, like we did last summer," he said instead. "So if you guys want to make some plans, then now would be the time."</p><p>"Oh, really? Well, I'm sure we can find something to do to pass the time," Sam said. He reached for Bucky's hand, giving it a squeeze. "We've been wanting to head back down to New Orleans for a bit, and—"</p><p>"And after that, he promised he'd take me somewhere where the mosquitoes aren't the size of goddamn birds," grumbled Bucky. "Which is just about anywhere else."</p><p>"Hey, now!" exclaimed Sam. "Who gave you permission to go ripping on Nawlins? In the summer? When it's—?"</p><p>"Hotter 'n hell with the humidity to match?" Bucky retorted as he tossed a grape at Sam's face. "And the answer is, no one. 'Cause I don't need any."</p><p>Steve grinned, shaking his head as his two friends continued their bantering. He had never personally visited New Orleans, but he'd heard enough about the area to know that he probably wouldn't enjoy it very much in the dog days of summer.</p><p>"Long as you're back by the beginning of August or so," he said once they had paused to catch their breath. "And preferably both in one piece."</p><p>"Well, I can't promise anything," Sam said with wide eyes. "That'll depend on how much this one ends up pissing me off."</p><p>"God, I hate you," Bucky muttered, smirking when Sam dropped his gaze to his plate, his lips pursing into a soft smile. Peter had explained to Steve that Sam and Bucky's 'I hate yous' were usually code for 'I love you', something that Steve didn't quite understand, but still found amusing.</p><p>As long as they both understood what they meant, Steve supposed it didn't matter how they said it. He just far preferred to say the words outright. And often.</p><p>Especially after the events of the last year.</p><p>After finishing his food, Steve bid his still-bickering friends goodbye and headed back to Shuri's lab to find his husband and son both sound asleep on Tony's table. Peter, who was only a few centimetres shorter than Tony now, was curled up against Tony's left side with his head resting on Tony's chest and a handful of Tony's shirt clutched in his fist. Tony's arm was draped protectively across him, his thumb hooked through one of the belt loops on Peter's jeans.</p><p>Blinking back tears, Steve dug his phone from his back pocket and quickly snapped three pictures, sniffing as he examined them. Six years after their first fateful meeting, he could still remember the very first photograph he'd ever taken of his two precious boys, months before he was even able to call them that.</p><p>And also the hundreds—if not thousands—of photographs he had taken since then. Steve absolutely loved the fact that even at age sixteen—and a half, as Peter liked to remind him—Peter never shied away from cuddling with his father.</p><p>Which was good, because Steve knew how much Tony adored those cuddles. And how desperately he had missed them during the year Peter was missing.</p><p>"Not anymore," Steve whispered as he replaced his phone. Then he leaned down, pressing kisses to both of their cheeks before tucking the blankets up over Peter's shoulder and settling back into his chair, his heart even more full than his stomach.</p><p><em>That's why we did what we did, </em>Steve thought as he started to drift off. Because for all of their talk about saving the universe, if he and Tony hadn't been able to bring Peter back in the process, Steve was absolutely certain that Tony wouldn't have survived it.</p><p>Which meant Steve wouldn't have either.</p><p>But that didn't matter anymore. Peter was back, and Tony was healing.</p><p>And now, with Thanos' defeat, they could all hopefully find some peace.</p><hr/><p>
  <em> <strong>Three weeks later.</strong> </em>
</p><p>Peter stared up at the clock above the classroom door, watching as the second hand slowly ticked its way around. He'd been staring at it for so long that the numbers were starting to blur together, but seeing as it was his last class of his last day of his junior year of high school, he didn't want to be caught off-guard when the bell rang.</p><p>
  <em>Three more minutes.</em>
</p><p>Blinking, Peter dragged his eyes away from the clock and settled in on studying Gwen's gorgeous hair draped across her shoulders, and the way the various shades of blonde caught the sunlight streaming in through the classroom windows. She smelled faintly of lavender and jasmine, and that combined with her bright blue sweater that perfectly complimented her striking green eyes, and, well… it was like Peter felt drunk every single time he looked at her.</p><p>She simply was breathtaking. So unbelievably gorgeous that most of the time Peter couldn't understand what the hell she even saw in him.</p><p>Apparently the Stark men had a type, as even Peter's grandma had had blonde hair.</p><p>Shifting in his seat, Peter rested his chin down on his stack of books and glanced up at the clock again, the second hand almost taunting him with its metronome-like ticks. He had always wondered why the teachers even bothered to hold regular classes on the last day of school, when they all knew that most—if not all—of the students would rather be anywhere else. With his final exams completed and his standing as the top student in the class safely intact, Peter's mind had wandered far and wide throughout the day, focusing on just about anything besides whatever his teachers were discussing.</p><p>Like the movie he and Gwen were going to see as soon as the school day was over. Peter had been looking forward to their date for over a week now, as it would be the last time he'd get to be alone with Gwen before she left for England.</p><p>Apparently not even a universe-threatening battle could keep Gwen from going to study at Oxford for the summer.</p><p>
  <em>Oh well.</em>
</p><p>Surprisingly, Dad and Papa hadn't given Peter a hard time for wanting to go with Gwen alone. He had prepared an entire argument complete with written rebuttals in case they tried to play one of their whole overprotective-dad cards again, but to Peter's shock, when he finally got up the courage to bring it up at dinner the week before, his dads only had one of their silent, eyebrow-quirking conversations and then told him yes, as long as Peter promised he would be extra careful.</p><p>They were even going to drop off one of Dad's cars at the school for Peter to use since his own car was still up at the Compound, something that Peter hadn't even considered asking for.</p><p>Maybe he should pick fights with big, ugly purple brutes more often.</p><p>Actually, on second thought, if the recent nightmares he'd been having were any indication, then maybe not. Waking up shivering with his sheets drenched in sweat after dreaming that his body was falling apart like a dry leaf was <em>not </em>something Peter would wish on anyone. Even now, sitting in his classroom, Peter could recall the crushing terror and overwhelming pain threatening to steal his breath just as easily as if he were back up there, on that barren rock of a planet.</p><p>
  <em>I don't wanna go, Daddy! Please, I don't wanna go!</em>
</p><p>"No!" Peter hissed, thankfully not loud enough to be overheard. He tightened his fingers around his stack of books, squeezing his eyes closed as he tried to force the offensive images out of his mind.</p><p>
  <em>I'm okay. I'm okay.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>My name is Peter Stark-Rogers. I'm sixteen years old. My dad is Tony Stark. My papa is Steve Rogers. I live in Avengers Tower.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I am Spider-Man.</em>
</p><p>Peter repeated the mantra three more times before slowly opening his eyes, sucking in a deep breath as he tipped his head to the side to glance up at the clock, which had continued with its incessant ticking as if it was its soul purpose for existence. With an annoyed huff, Peter rolled his eyes and dragged his attention back to studying Gwen's hair. His patience with school wasn't often the greatest anyway, but it had been even worse ever since they came home from Wakanda. Most of it was jealousy, as petty as that was. The technology that Shuri and her family had access to down in Wakanda was just so advanced that there was no way the Stark-influenced tech and equipment Peter used at Midtown could compare.</p><p>Thankfully, he and Dad had been able to take enough notes—with Shuri's blessing, of course—to give them plenty of stuff to work on over the summer, once they got back from the vacation Papa was planning. Hopefully it would be enough to keep Peter from moping around the house too much, as he'd overhead Papa suggest to Dad after dinner the night before.</p><p>Grunting, Peter shifted again, shaking out his left arm which had fallen asleep. He hadn't thought about it until Flash Thompson happened to make one of his stupid, accidentally-on-purpose remarks during lunch about how Peter actually got to finish out the school year this year.</p><p>It wasn't his fault that his family attracted supervillains like magnets, or that the only one of them not allergic to winter had been Obadiah.</p><p>The timing was especially sucky for Dad, since his birthday was at the end of May. Peter and Papa had gone out of their way to try and make it extra special for him this year, and Peter knew that Dad had appreciated it. It was just hard for him sometimes to forget that on his birthday six years ago, he and Peter were being held prisoner by terrorists hired to capture them by his very own mentor.</p><p>And that ever since then, Dad had spent another of his birthdays frantically searching for Papa, and yet another mourning for Peter himself.</p><p>
  <em>But at least he got a do-over on that one.</em>
</p><p>Ned, of course, had bombarded Peter with questions from practically the very second he set foot inside the school, fuelled by a bunch of stupid conspiracy theories being passed around at his mother's book club. Peter had tried to answer a few of them as best as he could, but since he didn't really understand a lot of it himself, he'd ended up clamming up after a few minutes and just telling Ned that he'd been sworn to secrecy.</p><p>Which was at least partially true. Dad and Papa had sat Peter down a couple days after they got home from Wakanda and explained most of what had happened, starting with what Peter remembered—the arrival of the Q-ship and travelling to Thanos' homeworld, which by itself was still really freaking cool—and ending with what was apparently the do-over version of things, the second Battle of Wakanda.</p><p>The battle that had ended in Thanos' defeat, rather than in the death of billions of people.</p><p>Billions that had apparently included not only Peter, but Uncle Bucky, Uncle Sam, Wanda, Gwen's mom and two of her brothers, and probably dozens more of Peter's classmates and teachers.</p><p>Maybe even Ned, and some of his family.</p><p>Had they all broken apart like burnt paper, as he did in his nightmares? Or was it somehow different for them?</p><p>Peter supposed he would never know. All he knew was that he'd never been more grateful for Gwen than when she told Ned, in her polite, no-nonsense way to back off.</p><p>And it wasn't that Peter thought Ned actually believed most of that stuff his mom liked to gossip about, it was just… things were already weird enough. All the stuff Dad and Papa had told him about, the year he was missing and what they did to bring him and the others back, was literally straight out of a science fiction novel, and Peter highly doubted that Mrs Leeds' book club ever read anything that even came close to science fiction.</p><p>He also had a strong feeling that Mrs Leeds and her friends weren't the only one spreading goofy conspiracy theories around. The press conference Papa and the rest of the team had held a few days ago had been so brief and vague that it had probably raised a lot more questions than it had answered, and the news people had been having a field day ever since. Peter understood why they had to keep things a secret, the general public just wasn't ready to hear about giant purple aliens trying to snap away half of all life in the universe, but… yeesh.</p><p>Even less so the fact that the giant purple alien had actually succeeded, if only temporarily.</p><p>It didn't help that Dad and Papa had just kind of glossed over a lot of what had happened during the year—<em>an entire freaking year!</em>—Peter was gone, but he had a strong feeling that had less to do with him and more to do with them not wanting to talk about it. Peter supposed he couldn't blame them much, since it didn't really matter anymore anyway. But the pain and guilt he saw flare up in his father's eyes whenever that period of time was mentioned was so visceral that Peter had half a mind to suggest to Papa that Dad talk to Uncle Sam about it.</p><p>Whatever it was, it wasn't good for Dad to try and keep it all bottled up. The three of them had already been there, done that with Papa, and it had been an unmitigated disaster.</p><p>And he did have Gwen to talk to. Peter shuddered to think how much worse off he would be if he hadn't been able to at least tell her about some of the stuff that he'd experienced. The whole spaceship and travelling to a different planet parts were actually kinda cool, but having a blaster held to his head? Being almost strangled to death? Watching as Dr Strange gave up the Time Stone to save his life?</p><p>Having his father disappear right in front of his eyes, leaving him stranded on a dying planet with a bunch of goofy strangers?</p><p>All definitely <em>not </em>cool.</p><p>Having Dad and Papa tell him that the first time around it had happened way differently, but then refuse to tell him exactly how?</p><p>Even more not cool. Especially since he couldn't ask for more details without giving away the fact that he was having nightmares, something he did <em>not </em>want his dads to find out about. No sense in giving them even more reasons to hover.</p><p>The most frustrating part was that not even JARVIS had a record of everything that had happened, thanks to the whole jump-back-in-time do-over thing, so essentially all that Peter knew for sure was after Thanos got the Time Stone from Dr Strange, he then managed to get his hands on the Soul Stone in Wakanda and snap his fingers. And that Dad and Peter were still up on Titan when it happened.</p><p>Peter did wonder if Papa and Dad realised yet that by telling him that much, they had just handed him his strongest argument for officially joining the team. Especially since Dad had named Peter an Avenger while still on the ship.</p><p>He'd wait until they got back from their vacation to bring it up. No sense in him trying to push things while everyone was still extra twitchy.</p><p>Peter's left arm was tingling with pins and needles as he snuck another glance up at the clock, his heart quickening when he saw that he only had forty-five seconds left before the bell rang. His right foot started tapping on its own volition as he counted down the rest of the seconds, bracing himself for the shrill ring of the bell.</p><p>
  <em>Five… four… three… two… one…!</em>
</p><p>"Have a wonderful summer, everyone!" the teacher called as the students shot out from their chairs like Uncle Clint's arrows, practically tripping over each other in their haste to escape from the room. Shoving his books into his backpack, Peter slung it over his shoulder and stepped back, waiting semi-patiently as Gwen packed her laptop and books into her bag. They had both cleared out their lockers the day before, and so only needed to grab what was left and head out to the parking lot.</p><p>"Ready to go?" he asked as Gwen zipped up her bag, offering her his elbow. She took it with a flourish, one that made him laugh as they exited the classroom.</p><p>"It was really nice of your dad to let you borrow his car today," she said as Peter opened the passenger door of the bright orange Audi, holding her bag while she slid inside. Dad had transmitted the key frequency to his phone once he and Papa had dropped it off, reminding him to be extra careful on the busy streets.</p><p>"Yeah, it was," Peter agreed. Climbing into the driver's seat, he took a second to re-familiarise himself with the controls. "You do realise this probably means that they'll be sitting in that coffee shop a block away the whole time though."</p><p>Gwen shrugged, flashing Peter the smile that always made him weak in the knees. "Eh, that's okay. They always get a bit more overprotective after a battle, don't they? I know my dad's always more hyper about my brothers and me after something big goes down."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Peter said as he carefully eased onto the street. It wasn't quite rush hour yet, so the traffic was fairly minimal. "That last battle was a bit of a doozy, so I guess I can give them a pass this time."</p><p>"Well, isn't that nice of you," Gwen said. Her green eyes were sparkling as she placed her hand on Peter's knee, sending a burst of warm fuzzies shooting up and down his leg. "So, is this Han Solo movie we're gonna see supposed to be any good?"</p><p>"Well… from what I read, the initial critical reviews haven't been very good, but I don't really care," Peter rushed out. "For me, it'd be sacrilege if I didn't see a <em>Star Wars </em>film in the theatre at least once."</p><p>Gwen's eyebrows shot up as she laughed. "Oh! Well, we can't have that, right?"</p><p>"No, we can't," Peter said, grinning as he pulled into the theatre's parking garage. Ned had even already asked Peter if they could go see <em>Solo </em>again once he got back from Italy, and Peter was certain that Uncle Sam and Uncle Bucky would take him at least once.</p><p>And even if <em>Solo </em>was bad, it still couldn't be as bad as <em>The Phantom Menace.</em></p><p>They held hands as they rode the escalator up into the main lobby of the theatre. Since Peter had already bought their tickets the day before, he led Gwen straight over to the concessions area, and was busily scanning the menu when one of the cashiers, a big, burly dude with wild curly hair, waved him over.</p><p>"Hey, I know you!" the guy said as they approached his station, loud enough to draw the attention of the dozen or so people milling about the lobby. "Isn't your dad Iron Man?"</p><p>Peter gulped, squaring his shoulders as he nodded. At least he'd remembered to bring his earplugs with. "Yes, that's right," he said quietly. "And my other dad is Captain America."</p><p>"Oh yeah, I knew I recognised you!" the guy exclaimed. He leaned closer, eyeing Peter conspiratorially. "So, how cool was it that Iron Man got to ride on that spaceship? Was he really fighting more of those badass aliens up there? And what about Cap? I heard that he went up against the biggest alien of 'em all!"</p><p>"Ah… well—" Peter started.</p><p>"And have you ever met that Spider-Man dude?" the guy continued. "He was up there too, right? Is he any good?"</p><p>Peter gave an enthusiastic nod. "Oh, yeah! Spider-Man's awesome, and—"</p><p>"I bet it kinda sucks for you though, being a kid in a house full of superheroes, doesn't it?" asked the guy. "Don't you ever get jealous? I know I would if it were me."</p><p>"Um… well… sometimes it does get a little weird," Peter said, which wasn't even a lie. He felt Gwen squeeze his hand, giving hers a squeeze in return. "But you know, they're all pretty cool, so—"</p><p>"Have you heard the new rumour going around?" the guy asked in the loudest whisper Peter had ever heard in his life. He glanced around, leaning even closer. "There's some people who think that the Avengers went back in time. You know, to fix stuff?"</p><p>Peter let out a squeak, his heart hammering against his ribcage as the images of him clinging to his father for dear life flooded his mind. He sucked in a deep, shaky breath, gripping Gwen's hand as tightly as he dared.</p><p>
  <em>Please, not here!</em>
</p><p>"Oh, r-really?" he stammered. "And why—why do you think they would do that?"</p><p>The guy shrugged. "Well, I dunno. Maybe 'cause they royally screwed something up the first time around?"</p><p>"Uhh," Peter gasped as a blast of ice-cold dread hit him square in the chest. "I don't—I don't—"</p><p>
  <em>I don't wanna go, Daddy! I don't wanna go!</em>
</p><p>"You really shouldn't listen to silly rumours," Gwen said, sharply enough to cut through the blood rushing past Peter's ears. "And besides that, I highly doubt the <em>Avengers</em>, of all people, would ever make such a mistake. Now, could you please show me how big a large popcorn is?"</p><p>Gwen's question seemed to snap the guy back to reality, and he frowned as he reached for the big popcorn bucket sitting on the counter.</p><p>"Uhh, this is it," he said, rather solemnly. "Price is six dollars plus tax, and it includes one free same-day refill."</p><p>"Excellent," stated Gwen. "Then we'll take two of those, and two large Dr Peppers. Please."</p><p>"Oh, and one bag of gummy worms," Peter added as he reached for his wallet, praying Gwen hadn't noticed that his hands were shaking. He somehow managed to pay for everything without dropping his card on the sticky floor, and even managed to pull up their electronic tickets without spilling anything.</p><p>But as soon as they sat down in the nearly-empty theatre, Gwen took Peter's popcorn and Dr Pepper from him and set them on the seat next to her, her green eyes blazing as she held Peter's hands between her own.</p><p>"Can you tell me what's going on?" she asked, so tender and full of concern that Peter had to forcibly hold his tears back. "Or I guess, what else is going on?"</p><p>Peter shook his head, not meeting her eyes. The last thing he wanted was to ruin the only date they would get for the entire summer.</p><p>"It's nothing," he said, sniffing. "I'm just—"</p><p>"No, Peter, it's not nothing," Gwen said with a sigh. She ducked down, forcing Peter to meet her eyes. "You got upset like this earlier too, at lunch when Ned was talking, so don't try and tell me it's nothing. I want to help you."</p><p>"I know you do." Peter brought Gwen's hand to his lips, kissing the back of it. "It's just… right now I really don't wanna think about it. I'd—I'd rather just watch the movie with you and forget about everything else." Peter knew Uncle Sam would be shaking his head in frustration if he'd heard him just now, but since Uncle Sam wasn't there, then he didn't need to know.</p><p>"So… can we just watch the movie? Please?"</p><p>Gwen stared at him for several heartbeats before finally nodding. "All right. But what're you gonna do when I'm not here to change the subject for you? Are you just gonna avoid thinking about everything for the whole summer?"</p><p>"If I have to," answered Peter, letting out a frustrated groan when Gwen rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, I was joking."</p><p>"Well, it wasn't very funny," Gwen said with a sigh. "You're having bad dreams again, is that it?"</p><p>Peter let out a hard shiver as terror hit the forefront of his mind like a crashing freight train. "Yeah. And I promise I'm gonna talk to my Uncle Sam about it. Just… not right this second, okay? I just… wanna enjoy being here with you." <em>Before you leave me for seventy-eight days.</em></p><p>Gwen tilted her head, eyeing him for a few heartbeats before reaching for his popcorn bucket. "All right. I guess the timing isn't really all that great, huh?"</p><p>"No, it's not," agreed Peter. He set the bucket down between his knees and draped his arm across Gwen's shoulders, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks."</p><p>Gwen smiled as she popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth. "You don't have to thank me, Peter. Just so long as you don't try to hide stuff from me."</p><p>"Uh huh." Peter turned to face the screen as the lights grew dim and the trailers began, forcing all of his churning thoughts to the back of his mind.</p><p><em>Like fathers, like son,</em> that evil, sinister voice that Peter knew haunted both of his dads as well suddenly whispered. All three of them were terrible about sharing certain things because they didn't want the others to worry, even when all it ended up doing was making everything about a million times worse.</p><p>It was something they all needed to do better.</p><p>But not today. Today, all Peter wanted was to cuddle with his beautiful girlfriend while they watched a movie about one of his very favourite fictional characters before she got on an airplane to fly halfway across the world early the next morning.</p><p>And the movie, while definitely not the best he'd ever seen, did turn out to be at least decent enough for him to want to see again.</p><p>They remained in the auditorium until the very end of the credits, neither of them wanting the date to be over. As they slowly got to their feet, Peter was just about to ask if they could head over to the coffee shop for some hot chocolate when Gwen's phone buzzed with a text from her father, asking when she would be home.</p><p>"I'm sorry," she said as they exited the theatre. "I think my dad's starting to freak out a bit."</p><p>Peter nodded, swallowing against the lump in his throat as they got into the car. "It's okay. I know your parents are gonna miss you too."</p><p>"Yeah," Gwen said softly. "I know."</p><p>They were mostly silent as Peter drove to Gwen's house as slowly as the traffic laws allowed, pulling up to the curb in front of her walkup about fifteen minutes later. Tears welled in Peter's eyes as he put the car into Park and reached for Gwen's face, drawing her close for a kiss.</p><p>"I'm gonna miss you so much," he whispered once they broke apart, hugging her as closely as the centre console would allow. A traitorous tear escaped down his cheek, one that he quickly swiped away. "Please, promise me you're gonna be careful! You never know when you might run into some badass British supervillain or something, and then Spider-Man won't be there to save you, so—"</p><p>"Shh," Gwen said as she brushed her fingers across Peter's lips. "It's not Spider-Man that I'm gonna miss, Peter."</p><p>Peter chuckled. "Well, yeah I know—ahh, wait a sec. You're not? Why?"</p><p>Gwen's eyes crinkled as she smiled, biting her bottom lip like she often did. "No, I'm not. I love that you're Spider-Man, Peter, you know I do. But I love <em>you </em>more."</p><p>"Oh," Peter got out just before she kissed him again, lingering as long as Peter dared to right in front of her house.</p><p>"And don't forget that you'll be gone too for a while," Gwen added. "So I think it'll go faster than we think."</p><p>Peter nodded, trying to smile as he trailed his thumb along her cheekbone. "Yeah, I hope so. I know you're gonna do awesome over there."</p><p>
  <em>Just… please don't forget about me.</em>
</p><p>"Thanks," Gwen murmured, her glorious smile almost enough to chase Peter's sorrows away.</p><p>Almost.</p><p>"It's only seventy-eight days, right? We can do this."</p><p>"Yeah." Peter was just leaning in for another kiss when Gwen's outside light suddenly turned on, nearly causing him to hit the ceiling of the car. "Uhh, I guess you've gotta go."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess." She squeezed Peter's hand, giving him one final peck. "I'll call you as often as I can, okay?"</p><p>"Promise?"</p><p>"Yes, I promise." Then she gathered up her school bag and opened the car door, their hands slowly sliding apart as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. "I'll see ya soon."</p><p>"I love you!" Peter called, whispering a soft, "Bye" as he watched Gwen walk up the steps to her front door, which flew open before she even reached the top. Peter's heart jumped into his throat as Chief Stacy stepped out, giving Peter a friendly wave before following Gwen inside.</p><p>Seventy-eight days to go.</p><p>The drive back to the Tower passed in a daze. Leaning his head against the wall of the elevator, Peter closed his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable third degree as soon as he stepped into the penthouse.</p><p>"Hey, buddy!" Dad said before the doors had even fully opened, jumping up from the living room couch so fast there was no way he wasn't counting down the seconds. "How was the movie?"</p><p>"Eh, it was okay," Peter said. He dropped his backpack onto the opposite couch, raking his fingers through his hair as the smell of garlic, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese wafted down the hall from the kitchen. Papa must've made his famous homemade pizza for dinner.</p><p>"You know. Not great, but not horrible."</p><p>"Well, as long as you and Gwen enjoyed yourselves," Papa said. He smiled as he handed Peter a package, carefully wrapped in brown shipping paper. "This came in the mail for you today."</p><p>"It did?" Peter asked as he scanned the address label, his belly swooping when noticed that the return address was the dorm Gwen would be staying in at Oxford. "Um… what—?"</p><p>"Go on and open it in your room, bud," Dad said. "Papa's got dinner just about ready."</p><p>Peter nodded, tossing an offhand, "Uh huh" as he hurried down the hall to his bedroom. As soon as he'd closed the door behind him he tore into the package, a wide smile stretching across his lips as he pulled out the oversized fluffy hooded sweatshirt printed with the Oxford University crest, with the words Somebody At Oxford Loves Me surrounding it.</p><p>And it was even one of Peter's favourite colours, Spider-Man red.</p><p>"Ohh," Peter breathed as he took off his hoodie and pulled on the sweatshirt on, closing his eyes as he burrowed down into it. It even smelled like Gwen, like she had sprayed it with her perfume or something before she mailed it.</p><p><em>Maybe it really will be okay, </em>he thought as he ran his palm down the cozy fabric, swiping at an errant tear as he heard Papa calling from the kitchen.</p><p>"Peter! Dinner's ready!"</p><p>"Coming!" Shuffling his way into the kitchen, Peter found Papa putting a plate of three huge slices of pizza at his place at the table, ruffing Peter's hair as he sat down.</p><p>"Well, that sure looks cozy, bud," Dad said, giving Papa his most adoring googly-eyes as Papa set his plate in front of him. After serving himself, Papa sat down in his chair, reaching for each of their hands.</p><p>"You know, the three of us, we're all gonna be okay," Papa said. And it was a statement, not a question. Like he was willing it to be true.</p><p>And, knowing Papa, he probably believed that he actually could will it to be true.</p><p>'Cause Captain America never took no for an answer. Not when a yes would be better.</p><p>"You're damn right we are, babe," answered Dad. "Right, Pete?"</p><p>Peter breathed in as he looked at his two incredible dads, the dads who had literally gone back in time and battled several universes worth of aliens to ensure that he would be able to sit there, in that kitchen, wearing that comfy hooded sweatshirt that smelled like his girlfriend.</p><p>As long as the three of them were together, they could accomplish anything.</p><p>Even bringing people back from the dead.</p><p>"Yeah," Peter finally said, giving them both a huge, genuine smile. Because he meant it.</p><p>"Yeah, we are."</p><hr/><p>
  <em> <strong>Three weeks later.</strong> </em>
</p><p>The soothing sound of waves lapping against the beach slowly pulled Tony from the deepest sleep he'd had in months, maybe even years. Against his usual instincts, Tony allowed himself to awaken slowly, his limbs deliciously heavy and his mind at peace, something he'd once feared he would never experience again.</p><p>As usual, Steve had been absolutely right. This vacation, the almost three glorious weeks they had spent in Italy with Peter so far, had been just what the three of them had needed to help recover from the pure hell of the last year. The estate was private enough to keep them hidden from reporters and any other overly-curious people, and yet, thanks to the fully-stocked kitchen and regular grocery deliveries, Steve and Peter could still cook and bake to their hearts' content, all while completely spoiling Tony rotten in the process.</p><p>Of course, incredible food hadn't been the only way Steve had been spoiling Tony. In fact, if his math was correct, Tony was certain that he and Steve had had more sex in the last three weeks than they had on their own honeymoon, when it had just been the two of them. From sleepy morning handjobs and blowjobs and the occasional afternoon quickie to hours spent exploring each other's bodies after Peter went to bed, the two of them had probably spent more time getting each other out of their clothing than they had actually wearing any.</p><p>And, since the weather had been absolutely glorious since they'd arrived, topping out around thirty Celsius every day with plenty of bright sunshine, Steve's most common state of dress had been a pair of swim trunks, tight, ab-outlining t-shirt or sexy-as-hell, shoulders-bearing tank top optional.</p><p>Which happened to suit Tony just fine, thank you very much.</p><p>A slow smile spread across Tony's lips as he burrowed further into Steve's side, breathing in the delicious vanilla scent of his skin. Warm fuzzies flooded Tony's body as he recalled how tender and loving Steve had been with him the night before. They had started out with a bubble bath in the huge sunken tub in the master bathroom, complete with glasses of champagne and several of the chocolate-covered strawberries that Steve and Peter had dipped earlier that day. Once the water had grown too cool for their liking, Steve had lifted Tony from the tub and carried him to their bed, where he'd proceeded to make love to him as passionately as if it had been their very first time.</p><p>And after five years of marriage—or was it still only four? The whole going-back-in-time thing still tended to mess with Tony's mind on occasion—to still have that kind of passion and hunger for each other just had to be something both very rare and very, <em>very</em> special.</p><p>Tony was one lucky man.</p><p>Or, as Steve preferred to say it, all three of them were.</p><p>As they damn well should be, for all of the hundreds of levels of hell they had endured in order to get there.</p><p>Still, watching as Steve and Peter tossed a frisbee back and forth on the beach or splashed around in the sea brought back a lot of memories of their early days at the Malibu house, when Tony was still reeling from their experience in Afghanistan and obsessed with hunting down the people responsible for it.</p><p>And trying to come to grips with the fact that he was falling head-over-heels with none other than Steve Rogers, the man he'd always sworn up and down that he hated.</p><p>The man he now loved more than life itself. The man who had not only saved his son's life—was it four times now? Five? Tony had pretty much lost count—but Tony's as well. In so many different ways.</p><p>And while Tony knew that Steve would say the same thing about him and Peter, to Tony, it wasn't quite the same.</p><p>If the last year had proven anything, it was that no one, not a single person who was alive, dead, or yet to be born, was stronger than Steve Rogers.</p><p><em>His </em>Steve. The man his son called, Papa.</p><p>They had celebrated Steve's birthday a few days ago, his ninety-sixth—or thirty-second, however one chose to look at it. After a huge dinner and dessert that Peter had prepared almost all by himself, Tony and Peter had presented Steve with a brand-new Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a 1958 Duo Glide model that was nearly identical to the bike Tony had given Steve for his ninety-second birthday, shortly before the Malibu house was bombed. Ever since then, Tony had searched far and wide for another like-new Duo Glide with no success, and had finally just ended up commissioning the people at Harley-Davidson itself to custom-build one for him.</p><p>The only difference between the new bike and the original was that this one had a second seat, so Tony would be able to ride on it with Steve once they got home.</p><p>
  <em>Home.</em>
</p><p>Carefully, so as not to disturb his sleeping husband, Tony lifted his head, blinking as he took in the sheer gorgeousness that was his Steve. His adorably mussed blond hair, softer than silk. His strong arms, the right curled around Tony's waist and the left resting on his pillow, bent up over his head. His smooth, broad chest and deliciously defined abs that disappeared under the thin, silky bed linens.</p><p>And what lay beneath those linens. His long, lean legs. His absolutely magnificent ass, so gorgeous it would make Michelangelo jealous.</p><p>The foot that had been smashed by Justin Hammer and his HYDRA-controlled drones, almost beyond repair.</p><p>And finally, his beautiful, perfect cock, straining hard against the sheets even in sleep.</p><p>Well. Tony could certainly do something about that.</p><p>Reaching behind him to his bedside table, Tony grabbed one of the wintergreen mints he kept there, popping it into his mouth as he studied Steve's beautiful face. His sleep was a peaceful one, his forehead and eyes free of the worry lines that had marred them for so long, his jawline relaxed and supple, and his chest slowly rising and falling with evenly measured breaths. Leaning down, Tony pressed a soft kiss to each of his cheeks first, then to his forehead between his eyes, his nose, and finally his chin, dipping underneath to find that sweet spot just below Steve's jawline that never failed to make him shudder.</p><p>And smirking against Steve's skin when he got the desired response, a long, low moan that rumbled up from Steve's chest.</p><p>"Mmm," Steve murmured as he opened one sleepy eye, his hand splaying across Tony's lower back. "G'morning."</p><p>"Good morning, beloved," Tony whispered, just before he sealed their mouths together. Steve let out another soft moan as his arms curled around Tony's back, moving Tony to straddle him. Tony gasped into Steve's mouth as his own half-hard cock slid against Steve's, heat blooming across his chest as Steve's hands slid down to grip his ass.</p><p>"<em>Tony,</em>" Steve rasped as Tony broke away from his lips to trail kisses down his cheek to his jaw, settling in on his pulse point. He sucked a small mark there, pulling back to glance at it before it disappeared.</p><p>"Yeah, baby, that's me," Tony said as he kissed his way back up to Steve's glorious mouth. He groaned as Steve's tongue slipped between his lips, stroking against his own. It still amazed Tony that even now, after the millions of kisses that he and Steve had shared, Steve still took his time to explore Tony's mouth as though it was his very first time.</p><p>Like Steve was trying to <em>savour </em>him. Even after Tony had spent almost an entire year pushing him away.</p><p>Oh, he knew Steve would disagree, and maybe there was a part of Tony that might've too, deep down. But the fact of the matter was, Tony had become so tangled in his chains of guilt and grief over Peter that he couldn't even think about anything else. Couldn't feel anything besides the horrible, gut-wrenching pain, and couldn't hear anything besides his own inner voices telling him that he hadn't done enough to save his precious boy.</p><p>That he'd <em>failed.</em> Completely and utterly failed in his most important duty as a parent.</p><p>He had failed to keep his child safe, and therefore no longer deserved to be loved.</p><p>And no matter how hard Steve tried to convince him otherwise, no matter how much he had begged and pleaded, Tony couldn't bring himself to hear him.</p><p>Until that awful day when it finally hit Tony that Steve was suffering too, just as much as Tony. He had just been better at hiding it.</p><p>Part of his whole 1940s stoicism thing, or something like that. Tony's heart ached as he remembered how Rhodey had found him in Peter's room, sprawled across his rumpled bed and clutching his stuffed polar to his chest. Rhodey had literally ordered Tony to sit up, to look at him and listen as he told Tony that he had just brought Steve to the infirmary with two very busted-up hands, and that he needed to go to his husband right the hell now.</p><p>Apparently vibranium didn't appreciate being used as a punching bag.</p><p>Well, Steve always had always had a bit of a flair for the dramatic. And caring for Steve afterwards did manage to snap Tony out of his crushing, grief-induced fog.</p><p>Or at least, made the fog a little less dense.</p><p>None of that mattered now, though. Peter was back, Thanos and his multiverse of armies were nothing more than ashes scattered across the cosmos, and Steve's glorious hands were busy gripping Tony's ass, his long fingers kneading his flesh like pizza dough.</p><p>"Tell me what you want, mo grá," Steve murmured as he tore his kiss-swollen lips away. "Conas is féidir liom tú a shásamh ar maidin?"</p><p>Tony moaned as he rolled his hips against Steve's, the sheets slipping down to the backs of his knees as their cocks rubbed together. "You're already pleasing me, baby. But I'm gonna take care of you this morning, okay? You've been—" He broke off, unable to finish his thought as he looked deep into Steve's gorgeous eyes, so lust-blown that only a hint of the blue was still visible.</p><p>
  <em>You've been taking care of me, and my son, since the very first moment I met you.</em>
</p><p>"Tony," Steve whispered, so reverently that tears pricked Tony's eyes. One hand glided up his back to his neck, his fingers weaving into Tony's hair. "My sweetheart, my beloved husband, you don't owe me anything. Not a single damn thing."</p><p>"Language, <em>Captain,"</em> Tony said with a soft smile. Once again, Steve had read him like a book. "I guess I really have corrupted you, hmm?"</p><p>"Mmm. Only in the good ways." Mischief flashed in Steve's eyes as he slid his left leg up to hook around Tony's, flipping them over before Tony could get another word out.</p><p>"Holy shit, that's so fucking sexy," Tony said on a gasp as Steve began kissing Tony's neck, working his way down to his chest to the mass of scars that decorated the skin over his sternum. During his recovery in Wakanda, Steve had asked Shuri to repair just about every single remnant left behind from the injuries that had led to Tony and Steve's fateful meeting, except for the scars created by the arc reactor. Steve had asked Tony's permission to leave them alone, of course, but even if Tony had wanted them removed, all it would've taken was one look at Steve's pleading blue eyes and he would have relented.</p><p>For some bizarre, unfathomable reason, Steve absolutely loved the mess of scars on Tony's chest. Loved to trace them with his fingertips while they laid in bed together, loved to kiss and caress them while they were intimate. He said they were a visible reminder of Tony's strength and tenacity, whatever that meant, but when it all came down to it, there was just no way that Tony could deny Steve something he loved.</p><p>Just like he couldn't deny Steve taking charge now, even as he'd planned to spoil him that morning instead of the other way around. Again.</p><p>"I was gonna blow you," Tony managed to get out as Steve's nimble fingers slipped between his legs, already slick with lube that he'd somehow managed to grab in between kisses. He choked on another moan as Steve carefully pushed two of those fingers inside him, peppering kisses all along his inner thighs and the base of his cock as he gently worked him open.</p><p>Which didn't take long, given that Steve had just fucked him into the mattress the night before.</p><p>"<em>Steve!" </em>Tony practically shrieked as Steve's index finger brushed across his prostate, sending spikes of hot pleasure shooting throughout his body. "Shit, baby, I'm already open enough! Just get inside me!"</p><p>"Are you sure?" Steve murmured against Tony's thigh, his eyes twinkling as he tapped Tony's prostate again. "I could just keep doing this, seems like you're enjoying it just fine."</p><p>"Please," Tony pleaded as his hands latched onto Steve's shoulders, trying to pull him up. "Please, baby. Need you right the hell <em>now."</em></p><p>With a final kiss to the leaking tip of Tony's cock, Steve pulled his fingers out and reached for a spare pillow, sliding it under Tony's hips. Then he crawled up over him, fusing their mouths together as he lined himself up and pushed inside, the two of them groaning in unison once he was fully sheathed.</p><p>"<em>Tony," </em>Steve moaned against Tony's shoulder as he started with gentle rocks of his hips. "Oh mo grá, braitheann tú chomh maith! Chomh fucking maith!"</p><p>"Shit. I really have corrupted you," Tony breathed as he wrapped his legs around Steve's slender waist.</p><p>Steve raised his head, his beautiful face flushed and shining with sweat as he looked deep into Tony's eyes.</p><p>"Like I said, sweetheart. Only in the good ways," he said as he snapped his hips against Tony's ass, forcing another strangled moan from Tony's throat. "I love you so much, mo grá. Is tú mo gach rud, and I just love you so damn much!"</p><p>"Shh, baby," Tony whispered as he tangled his fingers into Steve's hair, tugging Steve's head back down to his shoulder. He was convinced that there was nothing hotter during sex than hearing sweet nothings spoken in Irish with a Brooklyn accent. "It's okay, Steve. I'm right here."</p><p>"I know," Steve groaned against him. "I know 'cause I can feel you. I can feel you all around me." Steve's words were choked, which meant he was getting close. "You feel so good, Tony. So incredibly good, I can't—I can't—"</p><p>"Then don't," Tony murmured into Steve's ear. He hiked his legs up higher, his knees hooked over Steve's hips. "Come for me, baby. I wanna see you."</p><p>"You first," Steve stated as he snaked one hand between them to curl around Tony's cock, trapped between their bellies. Tony's back arched up as Steve stroked him just the way he knew Tony liked, the pleasure coiling in his gut so suddenly and so intensely that his climax hit him almost out of nowhere. He cried out as the heat consumed his body, his fingernails digging into Steve's shoulders as Steve sped up his thrusts, chasing his own release.</p><p>"That's it, honey," he forced out through the haze of his waning orgasm, the rays of the morning sun streaming through the thin curtains and highlighting the lighter strands in Steve's hair. Steve's gasps and groans were growing louder and more throaty and his eyes were squeezed closed, which meant he was very close. "God, you're just so fucking pretty! I wanna see you come for me!"</p><p>"Tony!" Steve cried as he thrust one final time and came, his entire broad body shaking as he spilled inside Tony, finally collapsing down half on top of him.</p><p>"Tony," he said again, low and thick against Tony's neck as Tony's fingers combed through his sweat-dampened hair. "Tony, I love you!"</p><p>"Yeah, hon, I know," Tony whispered as he pressed his lips to Steve's forehead. "I love you too."</p><p>
  <em>So fucking much!</em>
</p><p>Where would he and Peter be, if it weren't for Steve? How would they have survived out there in the middle of that desert? Or in the Malibu house as it was being bombed? Or down in mad Killian's bunker?</p><p>Or during the entire year when Peter was missing?</p><p>There's no way Tony would've survived. No way that either of them would be here now if it weren't for Steve.</p><p>"You saved us," he choked out, unable to catch the thought before it escaped from his mind. "You saved Pete, and you saved me, and—"</p><p>"No, mo grá," Steve said as he lifted his head, his chest still heaving as he trailed his thumb across Tony's cheekbone, his eyes so full of love that Tony could barely look in them.</p><p>"I didn't save you, Tony. You, me, and Peter, we all saved each other."</p><p>Tony breathed in, nodding as Steve carefully pulled out of him before dipping his head to brush his lips across Tony's in a soft kiss.</p><p>"Yeah, hon. I guess you're right," he whispered, chuckling when Steve's stomach suddenly growled. "Guess it's time for breakfast now, hmm?"</p><p>Steve smiled, showing off the glorious dimple in his cheek. "How 'bout a shower first?"</p><p>"Mmm, yeah, that sounds good," Tony said, winking. "Even better if you'll let me blow you."</p><p>Instantly, Steve's eyes darkened again, his half-hard cock twitching where it rested against Tony's hip.</p><p>"Sounds like a plan, sweetheart."</p><hr/><p>
  <em> <strong>Three weeks later.</strong> </em>
</p><p>"Ready?" Steve asked as he stepped into the kitchen with his shield in hand, where Peter was still stuffing his face with one of the doughnuts Sam and Bucky had bought for him. Bucky's new cat, a pure white thing he'd named Alpine, was apparently a very picky eater, requiring a third trip out to the grocery store in as many days in an attempt to find a cat food that she didn't stick her nose up at. Tony had just about flipped his lid when he first saw Peter attempting to play with the grumpy feline, as he had always detested cats. But after being assured by Sam, Bucky, Peter, and Steve that the cat wouldn't be a problem, he had calmed down a little.</p><p>The fact that Peter was no longer deathly allergic to the things did help immensely.</p><p>"Jesus, Pete, be careful!" Tony admonished, grimacing as Peter shoved at least half of the doughnut into his mouth. "You're gonna choke!"</p><p>"Daaaddd, I'm not seven years old anymore," Peter said around his massive mouthful. "I don't choke!"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, famous last words, buddy," Tony muttered as he took his nanite case from his pocket, attaching it to his chest. "Now, c'mon. Grab your Powerade and let's get going, yeah? It's not nice to keep our elders waiting."</p><p>"Ha ha ha," Steve said, chuckling as they stepped out of the Compound's front door. Tony squinted as the sunlight hit him square in the face, digging his sunglasses out of his pocket as Steve offered him his arm.</p><p>Always the perfect gentleman was Tony's husband. Even on a simple walk from their home over to the training dome.</p><p>They had returned from Italy three days before, just in time to celebrate Peter's seventeenth birthday with the rest of the team. As usual, everyone had spoiled him rotten, showering him with gifts of Lego sets, more geeky t-shirts from Bruce, an authentic set of Asgardian armour from Thor, and, probably his most favourite gift of them all, a wooden and crystal chess set made by Noj Dubrovnik, one that Natasha ordered custom-made from Russia just for her precious милая ошибка.</p><p>Not too bad of a haul for a soon-to-be high school senior.</p><p>Since a lot of the team members were still getting over jet lag and such, Steve had set their first official training session for the following Monday, but had asked if he, Tony, and Peter could begin working on some manoeuvres beforehand.</p><p>To which Tony had agreed, now that Peter had been named an official member of the Avengers. He and Steve had debated long and hard about making Peter's presence on the team official, eventually deciding that after his heroic performances in the initial skirmish in New York, on Titan, and in the Battle of Wakanda, they really could no longer deny him.</p><p>As much as they both didn't want to admit it, Peter was no longer the tiny, sickly eleven-year-old kid that Steve first met in that awful desert. He was now a superhero.</p><p>He was Spider-Man, and thus had earned his place with the team.</p><p>The Avengers.</p><p>The group of strangers that Steve had taken five years ago and moulded together into the well-oiled machine that had not only saved the world, they had saved the entire <em>universe.</em></p><p>The team that Tony was proud to call his family.</p><p>And while he knew that the days ahead wouldn't be all sunshine and roses and white-sand beaches, nightmares never just go away when their root cause is gone, after all, Tony knew that at least one of his nightmares, perhaps even the one he most feared, was now only just that.</p><p>A bad dream.</p><p>And soon enough, thanks to his BARF tech—<em>God, I still need to work on that acronym!</em>—even Tony's dreams of the Chitauri armies invading Earth would be nothing more than distant memories. After successfully purging both Peter and Bucky's memories of being snapped from their minds, Tony was eager to try it out not only on himself, but on Steve as well.</p><p>All three of them could do with a few less of the nightmares that haunted their sleep at night.</p><p>"Here we are," Steve said as they stepped inside the newly remodelled training dome. He tapped the white star on his chest, standing still as his brand-new Captain America uniform flowed into place. Peter, in pure Peter fashion, had been walking around in his Iron Spider suit since the moment he woke up, freshly upgraded from its time in Wakanda, of course. As was Tony's armour, thanks to a few tips from Shuri.</p><p>On the nearly infinitesimal chance that Tony would ever need to harness the six infinity stones ever again, at least he wouldn't have to worry about being half burned to death. And with the stones now back in their rightful places, one of the Avengers' new tasks would be to ensure that they were never all brought together again.</p><p>"All right," Steve said once his cowl was in place. "Tony, I'd like you and Peter to start working on some manoeuvres similar to what he's done with James and Sam. You guys instinctively worked really well together during the battle, so let's work on getting those instincts as sharp as possible, okay?"</p><p>"You got it, babe," Tony said, his grin widening as Peter rolled his eyes just before his mask closed over his face. The kid may be seventeen now, but apparently he still thought his dads’ googly eyes were silly.</p><p>"Sounds awesome, Papa," Peter said, bouncing impatiently on his feet. "I'm ready, let's go!"</p><p>"Great!" said Steve. He stepped back three paces, nodding at Tony as he readied his shield. "Whenever you're ready, sweetheart."</p><p>"Copy that," Tony whispered. He sucked in a deep breath as his faceplate closed and his HUD formed in front of his eyes, glancing over at his husband and his son as his heart started to thud.</p><p><em>Thanos is gone. The Chitauri are gone. I am no longer afraid, </em>he thought, repeating the words that Sam had suggested to him whenever he was feeling overwhelmed.</p><p>
  <em>I am Iron Man.</em>
</p><p>"Dad?" Peter asked. "You okay?"</p><p>Tony gave a quick nod. "Yeah, bud, I'm fine."</p><p>"Uh huh," said Peter. "Whenever you're ready."</p><p>"Yeah." He sucked in a deep breath, releasing it slowly.</p><p>
  <em>I am no longer afraid.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I am Iron Man.</em>
</p><p>"C'mon, Spider-Man," he finally said, planting his feet.</p><p>"I'll race ya."</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>THE END.</strong>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As always, I can’t wait to see what you think!  Please don’t forget to hit the kudos button and leave me a comment! 💗 </p><p>Emoji Key for those who don't know what to say in the comments!<br/>❤ = you wish you could kudos again<br/>😭 = I got you right in the feels<br/>🔥 = this was so hot/ sweet!<br/>🐰 = it’s so fluffy!<br/>😣 = the angst is killing me!</p><p>I have more stories in the works!  I am hoping to post the first of my Marvel Trumps Hate auction winners in the next couple of weeks, which will also be part of the Pieces of Echoes series.  I also am participating in the Fandom Trumps Hate auctions, so be sure to look for my listing! 😊 </p><p>Until next time, thank you all for reading, and for all of your lovely comments!<br/>-geeky</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>